For more than a decade, Jasperites both new and seasoned have shared Sunday dinners together at the Jasper Activity Centre.
It鈥檚 a tradition that formed out of a need and that stuck because of the joy it creates each winter season.
The community dinner program is an initiative of Community Outreach Services (COS). It started in 2002, a year when the snow didn鈥檛 come and the ski hill didn鈥檛 open until much later than expected.
That delay resulted in more than antsy skiers, it left dozens of young adults with no income, as they waited for the snow to fall and their jobs to start.
It was the sight and stories of those struggling seasonal workers that mobilized COS and, 12 years later, community dinners remain on the calendar for 12 Sundays a year.
Although at the outset, the intention of the dinners was to help those in need, over the last 12 years they have become more than a hot meal.
鈥淭here鈥檚 multiple benefits,鈥� said Patrick Mooney, who has been organizing the dinners from the beginning, 鈥渢here鈥檚 the socializing, the helping, the feeding and the connecting.
鈥淸The dinners have] transcended that original need into just a beautiful example of how community works,鈥� said the adult outreach worker.
The dinners, which are made by a different group of volunteers each week, are offered by donation, so they are accessible to all of Jasper鈥檚 residents.
Mooney said there are still a few Sundays without a host, so he encourages local businesses, organizations or groups to contact him if they are interested in preparing one of the community meals.
And he also encourages anyone with a free Sunday, to contact him to volunteer.
鈥淭his is a community driven program. If it wasn鈥檛 for the volunteers it wouldn鈥檛 happen,鈥� he said.
The first dinner of 2014 is Jan. 5, and, as is tradition, it will be cooked by 鈥渢he Deli Man,鈥� Glen Leitch.
Dinner is served at 5:30 p.m., but it鈥檚 best to show up early, as the line grows quickly, with an average of about 300 hungry diners partaking in the meals each Sunday.
To contact Mooney, call 780-852-6542.
Nicole Veerman
[email protected]
