Hope Mission hosts Christmas banquet for homeless

One of three Hope Mission Christmas banquet seatings on Dec. 12, 2025. (CTV News Edmonton)

Around 800 of Edmonton’s most vulnerable went to Hope Mission on Friday for a warm roast beef dinner with all the fixings.

Spokesperson Brenton Driedger says the shelter had to break meals up into groups of three to accommodate what he says is a growing need.

“These dinners, they’re both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time,” he said on Friday. “Christmas is a special time of year … if you’re having a tough time and you’re maybe missing family, the negatives in your life can kind of feel amplified.”

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Around 36 year-round kitchen staff and 60 volunteers help prepare and serve each meal, Driedger said.

Michael Yaskow filled his plate with roast beef and all the trimmings on Friday night, calling the meal “amazing.”

“It just brings back memories of being home, and being warm, especially now the way the weather is,” he said.

“If there was a mountain high enough, I would yell and tell everybody just how special these people are, looking after us in this weather.”

Hope Mission plans to host two more Christmas banquets this year.