Edmonton chef James Hansen says he wouldn’t have seen the success he has without the help he got from the Salvation Army over a decade ago.
“I probably wouldn’t be here,” said Hansen, who is now a Red Seal chef at the Edmonton Inn and Conference Centre.
“I lost my way about 13 years ago,” he said. “I lost my family and lived on the street for about two-and-a-half [to] three years.”
Hansen said that he was able to overcome addiction at the Salvation Army’s live-in treatment program.
“They gave me the opportunity to get my head straight… find a new way to live,” he said.
Hansen was one of two chefs who participated in a special event on Wednesday that saw the culinary experts be challenged to create a delicious appetizer using ingredients that are usually found in the food hampers that the Salvation Army distributes.
Along with Hansen, Red Seal chef Jay Barnard also competed. Barnard went through a similar Salvation Army program in Ottawa and now calls himself “Chef Recovery.”
“It’s one of those chef challenges where everybody wins,” said Maj. Al Hoeft with the Salvation Army.
The challenge is the official kickoff for the organization’s Christmas Kettle Campaign.
“This campaign supports many of our programs that happen all year round, but it also goes to support our Christmas program, which involves giving toys to families and supporting them with groceries at Christmastime so their families can have a really good Christmas,” Hoeft said.
The fundraising goal for this year’s Edmonton campaign is $550,000.
For the second year in a row, the kettle collection bins will also have volunteers who are able to accept credit cards and offer tap-to-pay options.
“Last year, Edmonton was the best city in the country in using those point-of-sale machines,” Hoeft said. “We added about eight or 10 per cent of our income from those point-of-sale machines.”
The Salvation Army is still accepting volunteers for the 2019 Christmas season.
“These programs give us a second chance,” Hansen said.
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