The Jasper Food Bank is settling into its new home after having lost its original location at the Jasper Anglican Church in last year’s wildfire.
Last month, the food bank moved into an ATCO trailer in the Jasper Activity Centre parking lot near the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum.
“We have a five-year lease on this, and so we’re just waiting to see if the Anglican Church rebuilds and if there’s space for us there,” said Blaine Wylde, operations manager of the Jasper Food Bank. “And then we’re going to be keeping our eyes open too in the next five years to see if there is something that’s more permanent, and we’ll reassess when the time comes.”
After the fire, the food bank had been temporarily housed inside the Jasper Legion and then briefly moved to the Olive Bistro.
Wylde said they had been searching for a more permanent location, but with the town losing 30 per cent of its structures, there were no suitable spaces available, which is why they opted for a trailer.
Food Banks Alberta attempted to get the ball rolling, but the trailer would have only been temporarily on loan. That was when the Municipality of Jasper stepped in to put forward the grant proposal to the Canadian Red Cross, which donated the trailer.
The trailer was purchased from ATCO and installed by HIBCO Construction. The municipality owns the asset so the food bank wouldn’t have to be responsible for its long-term investment.
Once the trailer was ready, Wylde put out a call for volunteers to help with the move and got a strong response. In addition, JFI lent one of its trucks, Canadian Tire Hinton donated various supplies and Rotary District 5370 gave a $33,250 cheque in December to support the food bank’s recovery.
The food bank also has a new fridge and freezer, which was purchased before the wildfire and had been waiting in Hinton until the trailer was ready. This has allowed the food bank to resume offering perishables.
“It’s been really great being able to offer fresh produce and frozen meats and stuff to people, so we’ve had really good feedback from the clients,” Wylde said. “When we hand them a nice big bag of fruits and vegetables, you can see the smile on their face.”
With the food bank operating as normal, Wylde said they would next look at building a shed for outdoor storage and potentially set up a little office where they can meet clients privately.
Demand continues to be high at the food bank, which sees anywhere from 65 to 75 households per week.
Wylde noted that although Jasper’s population has declined significantly post-wildfire, the numbers at the food bank are just as high or higher than before, with three to 10 new names on the list every week.
“Lots of people are still waiting for businesses to open up and to get their jobs back and to get the hours back that they’re looking for,” Wylde said. “And then the housing situation as well is really tricky, so lots of additional rent and that sort of thing, so I think people are really struggling.”
Although physical donations are accepted, cash donations are preferred as they allow the food bank to put the money toward items it is lacking and purchase new items when space becomes available.
The food bank is open Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. with no appointment required. For more information, contact 780-931-5327, send an email or visit the food bank’s website.
