With an ATCO trailer on the horizon, the Jasper Food Bank isn’t planning on getting too comfortable in its new temporary location.
Blaine Wylde, operations manager for the Jasper Food Bank, said some volunteers came on Dec. 30 to help them move from the Jasper Legion to the Olive Bistro.
“We had people showing up, just walking down the street, who saw us loading things in and stopped to help for a couple hours and one lady riding her bike by and saying, ‘Oh, I forgot that this was today,’ and she jumped in for a couple hours as well,” Wylde said. “And then we had lots of volunteers who were there [who] just started calling friends and making other phone calls for people to get involved. The volunteers just kind of kept growing throughout the day, and we got it done by 1:30 p.m. or so.”
The food bank had been housed in the Jasper Legion for the past five months after the Jasper wildfire destroyed its original location at the Anglican Church.
Due to planned renovations, space is limited at the Olive Bistro, but Wylde said they were able to fit everything in there. The location is also only a block away from the Legion, making the move easier.
The more permanent ATCO trailer is expected to be ready later this month and serve as the food bank’s location for four to five years. The trailer will be located at the Jasper Activity Centre’s parking lot.
Wylde explained the municipality had been handling all the permits and put together the proposal to the Red Cross, which will be paying for the trailer while the municipality will own it.
“It’ll have heat and a washroom, and we do have a fridge and freezer that was scheduled to come to the old Anglican Church on the 23rd of July, so that’s waited for us in Hinton because luckily, that didn’t get destroyed by the fires,” Wylde said. “Then we’ll be able to go back to our regular services that we were providing pre-fires.”
Wylde added they had explored other locations in Jasper, but with the wildfire destroying 30 per cent of structures in the townsite, they will be staying in a trailer for the foreseeable future while the rebuild occurs.
“But for the short term, we’re just kind of happy to have one spot where we don’t have to move again, and we know that we can do that for quite a few years,” she said.
Despite the reduced population post-wildfire, the food bank has been seeing increased usage, giving out between 75 and 80 food hampers per week by the end of November compared to the usual 55 to 65 hampers.
The food bank also partnered with Santa’s Anonymous to provide almost 1,000 residents with a dinner and breakfast kit.
“Lots of people reached out and used that service, and I think that’s what carries them through the holidays,” Wylde said. “But I expect that coming back in the new year, we’ll see those numbers rise again too.”
Because of the limited space at the Olive Bistro, the food bank is primarily looking for monetary donation, .
