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The retired Air Force captain said he is amazed by the generosity Calgarians have shown their veterans in the short time the food bank has been up and running.

“I wouldn’t have believed that we would have been able to start from scratch and accomplished what we have so far,” He said. “And this is an ongoing thing; it’s not just Christmas time, it’s year round.”

The food bank plans to hold a dinner every month, offering veterans a place “to tell our stories together and appreciate each other’s company.”

“We speak a particular language that only we understand, or we have maybe a bit of a dark humour that only we understand sometimes because of some of the things we’ve seen or we’ve done,” he said. “So you have that as an escape valve, I guess.”

McLean said the charity got up and running in 12 weeks thanks to the generous donations of funds, supplies and time by community members and local businesses.

He also said some veterans are volunteering time and labour not only delivering hampers, but with skilled trades as well.

“With all these veterans they have a lot of expertise … and so they’re coming in and doing stuff, so it’s pretty cool,” McLean said.

The association is also working on a veteran’s lounge to hold support meetings and give Calgary’s veterans a place to socialize and share their experiences with other service members.

For more information about the Veterans Association Food Bank visit www.veteransassociationfoodbank.ca.

RRumbolt@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @RCRumbolt