After 10 years, dozens of markets, thousands of pounds of vegetables and tractor-loads of hard work, the Jasper Local Food Society is enjoying the fruits of its labours.

However, even the most productive soil needs to be regularly replenished. 

“We’re hoping we can recruit some new board members,” president Marissa Kidd said recently.

At a recent meeting, JLFS members tallied up a list of their successes over the seasons. From apple festivals to seed saving sessions; school outreach to work bees; and Indigenous plant walks to food recovery programs, it’s safe to say that the twin trunks of the JLFS’s community garden and farmers’ market programs have grown various blossoming branches.

“Many of our programs have become fixtures of the community at this point,” said Kidd.

Kidd is serving her last term. Her tenure has seen the JLFS’s focus shift to reflect a changing world. Jasper has traditionally seen itself as limited when it comes to food production, Kidd said. She wants that perspective to change.

“Sometimes Jasper feels like a look-don’t-touch, living museum,” she said. “We envision a community that doesn’t see itself as so separate from nature.”

Through a decade of spirited work, the JLFS has taken big steps when it comes to increasing food security in a small, isolated mountain town. Kidd is excited to see what the next decade will bring.

“So much of our food is still grown in California and Mexico and trucked here,” she said. “If we’re going to have people living here, we should be living here sustainably.”

The JLFS’s Annual General Meeting takes place on Tuesday, February 23 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Besides the election of new board members, the meeting will feature growing experts from B.C.’s Robson Valley and include a chance to win great prizes from regional farms. Check the Jasper Local Food Society’s page on Facebook for the meeting link. 

Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com