Nuvision Heroes: Matthew Brown

Putting Children First, One Family at a Time

Matthew Brown doesn’t describe what he does as charity. He talks about it like responsibility.

Born and raised in Soldotna, Matt has spent the last decade quietly building something that now touches thousands of lives across the central Kenai Peninsula. What started as a way to stay busy after quitting drinking more than ten years ago has grown into Operation Children First, a year-round nonprofit focused on helping children and families who are slipping through the cracks.

The growth wasn’t planned. It wasn’t strategic. It was simply a matter of seeing a need and refusing to look away.

From Helping 25 Kids to Helping Thousands

In the early days, Matt was already organizing snowmachine drag racing and cross-country racing events. When he began securing sponsors, he redirected some of that money to help local families during the holidays. The first year, they helped around 25 kids.

That number stuck with him.

Year after year, word spread. More families reached out. More people donated. Last year alone, Operation Children First helped more than 2,200 children and families in a small community where everyone tends to know each other.

What began as a Christmas toy effort expanded naturally. Thanksgiving meals came next, with more than 100 meals now provided each year through partnerships with local elementary schools. Clothing drives followed. Hygiene supplies. School-based support. Mentorship.

At some point, Matt realized this wasn’t seasonal anymore. It was constant.

“There wasn’t an option to not do it,” is how he explains it.

Doing the Work Where It Matters Most

One of the defining choices Matt made early on was to keep the work local. Donations raised in Soldotna stay in Soldotna. Contributions from the Kenai area go back into the Kenai area.

That decision isn’t always popular, but Matt stands by it. People who give want to see their community helped, and he believes that focus is what keeps trust strong. It also keeps the operation manageable and accountable.

As the organization grew, he formalized it, becoming a 501(c)(3) after friends encouraged him to do so. Corporate donors wanted to help, but they needed a nonprofit structure. Once that was in place, the scale increased quickly—and so did the workload.

There were years when his house looked like a year-round warehouse, stacked with toys and supplies. Eventually, it became clear the operation needed its own space and systems to handle the volume and to respect the families being helped.

Efficiency matters, not for convenience, but so donations stretch as far as possible.

Working Through Schools

Some of the most impactful work happens through partnerships with local schools. Nurses, secretaries, and administrators know which students are struggling long before anyone else does.

Matt modeled his approach after another local nonprofit: no names, no stories, no judgment. Just a list of needs.

That approach avoids waste, preserves dignity, and ensures kids get exactly what they need—whether that’s warm jackets, socks, underwear, hygiene supplies, or clothes that fit.

He’s seen firsthand how small things matter. Kids sent to school without socks. Students sleeping in garages. Teen wish lists that include nothing but basic clothing.

Those moments don’t harden him. They commit him.

Why He Keeps Showing Up

Matt credits his upbringing for shaping how he sees people. His parents emphasized humility, personal responsibility, and treating others with respect. Those values carried over into adulthood and into this work.

He’s quick to say he’s learned far more from the families he’s helped than the other way around. Seeing how close many people are to financial collapse—often through no fault of their own—changed his perspective. Medical bills, job loss, housing instability. It happens quietly, even in small towns.

Some of the hardest seasons are Thanksgiving through Christmas, when the stories pile up and the need feels endless. But the payoff comes later.

It comes when someone he helped years ago runs into him at the refinery, now employed, stable, and proud. It comes when a family who once needed help returns, not asking—but giving. It comes when someone who was once struggling insists on donating back and Matt tells them to pay it forward instead.

That full-circle moment is what keeps him going.

“This Is Something Anyone Can Do”

Matt doesn’t believe helping people requires a nonprofit, a board, or a big budget. He believes it starts much smaller than that.

Pick an Angel Tree tag. Shop for a family. Help a neighbor. Volunteer locally. Be present.

In his words, there’s no way to fail at helping. Whether you help a little or a lot, you’re still helping. The only real risk is discovering how good it feels—and realizing you want to keep doing it.

That mindset is what built Operation Children First. Not ambition. Not recognition. Just a belief that kids shouldn’t suffer for decisions they didn’t make, and that communities are strongest when people take care of their own.

For Matt, that belief shows up in the hours he puts in, the families he stands beside, and the quiet way he keeps choosing to do the work—long after the holidays end and long after the spotlight moves on.

At Nuvision, stories like Matt’s remind us why community matters.

Through partnerships with organizations like Operation Children First, we’re proud to support those who are building stronger communities from the inside out. Because when kids are supported, families are stronger. And when communities take care of their own, everyone benefits.

That’s what being a Nuvision Hero is all about.