Christmas is coming, which for many people means days of consuming copious amounts of delicious food with family and close friends. But for others in Jasper, it can also be a lonely time away from the comfort of home, with little to fill the kitchen cupboards or their stomachs. 

That’s why every year the food bank, along with the Teamsters Union, organizes a free Christmas dinner at the legion.

Patrick Mooney, from the food bank, has spent the last nine Christmases at the legion, cooking and serving dinner.

He said each year there are about 100 hungry mouths to feed and there is never a shortage of food, with four turkeys and all the fixings.

Most of the hungry participants are people who work at the ski hill and aren’t able to make it home for the holidays. But Mooney said there are also others in town that should and do come.

“I know all sorts of people that should be taking advantage of that instead of sitting at home complaining, so I try to drag as many people out as possible,” he said.

The dinner is organized by about half a dozen volunteers.

“I go down to the legion at about 8 or 9 o’clock Christmas morning and a couple of people show up and we start prepping the potatoes, turnips, carrots and stuffing and get everything ready.”

The turkeys are cooked by Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and are picked up just in time for dinner.

Mooney said he and a volunteer chef from the lodge will also be making the desserts a day or two in advance.

“It will be a pretty nice dinner, with homemade desserts and turkey, the whole shebang.”

Mooney said the food bank is very proud to be a part of the dinner and the community.

But he said it’s concerning to see the number of food bank users continuously growing.

“I don’t see the need going away, I only see the need increasing,” said Mooney. “Being that wages just don’t match the cost of living and people even with full-time jobs struggle to buy the proper nutritional groceries, that’s a shame.

“So food banks are not only going to be around next year, they’re going to eventually evolve into a more sophisticated service because that gap between the rich and poor is getting bigger.”

Mooney said for the moment, the food bank has a good stock of food that was collected during the door-to-door food drive that took place in October, but it can always use more.

“We’re maintaining, but we’re feeding a significant amount of people and we, well what can I say, we have to be careful with our resources.”

The food bank is open every Thursday, for families from 6 to 7 p.m. and for individuals beginning at 7 p.m.

Mooney said 40 per cent of the food bank’s users are children and there is enough need for families in town that there is now a “family hour” to pick up non-perishable items.

Despite the ever increasing need, Mooney said it’s encouraging that Jasper is such a generous community.

“I wouldn’t be running the food bank if the community didn’t give me the food to give away,” he said.

“At this time of year, lots of donations come in and we’re happy about that.”