BANFF – A decision to postpone Banff’s Food and Friends program was hard to swallow for organizers of the popular program – but circumstances beyond the church’s control mean the program is on hold for a little longer.
Still recovering from a stroke he suffered at the end of July, Rev. Howard Thornton of St. George's In-the-Pines is not able to lead the Food and Friends fall relaunch as previously planned.
“Due to circumstances beyond our control, the church has had to put the program on pause, but with every intention to get it going again as soon as possible,” said Heather Jean Jordan, the church’s interim office manager.
“We believe it is such an important program… We would like to extend our deepest thanks to the community for their patience and continued support of this initiative.”
A sister program of Canmore Food and Friends at St. Michael's Anglican Church, Banff Food and Friends was launched as a pilot project at George's In-the-Pines in March 2021, offering take-away food in compostable containers while COVID-19 restrictions were in place.
While it was put on hold over the summer months to give volunteers a break, the plan was to reopen in September, hopefully for in-person dining as a way to connect residents with one another in a social setting.
The program is not intended to be a soup kitchen approach, but a community event that provides good nutrition, enhances food security, and brings about social cohesion.
Jordan said the response from the community was overwhelmingly positive, with more than 1,000 meals served during the three-month test that began on March 22.
“The highest number of meals given out in one evening was 180,” she said.
Food and Friends would not have gotten off the ground last spring without the support of volunteers, donors and community members, including support from head chef Beat Hegnauer, who was the executive chef at The Banff Centre for many years.
“We look forward to serving our community with food and fellowship in the near future,” said Jordan.
The Town of Banff’s 2018 community social assessment identified the high cost-of-living as the priority issue in Banff, which included the majority of residents identifying a need for more affordable and healthy food.
