‘The Coldest Night of the Year’ walk to help homeless
How cold will it be? That’s hard to predict.
But later this month, southern Albertans are invited to join Canadians across the land, taking a walk on “The Coldest Night of the Year.”
Residents of at least 120 cities are expected to take part in this year’s event, set for Feb. 24, to raise awareness of homelessness as well as funds for community agencies.
Streets Alive is organizing the Lethbridge walk, to be held at Exhibition Park. The downtown mission is hoping to raise $50,000 to help provide hot meals, emergency food hampers and clean clothing to men and women living on our streets.
“Experiencing cold for a couple of hours is a small way of showing your support for people who struggle with poverty,” says Marie McLennan, speaking for Streets Alive.
“Your support, whether walking, sponsoring a walker or sponsoring the event, makes a direct impact on the life of one of your neighbours.”
Participants from churches, community groups and businesses are encouraged to sign up — https://cnoy.org/location/lethbridge
— and start gathering support. This year, McLennan says, local organizers are expecting about 200 walkers on 40 teams.
By walking together in the cold, she adds, participants will gain a better understanding of what some Canadians experience for months on end.
Backed by funds raised through this event and others, she says, the Streets Alive Mission was able to serve 25,170 meals, provide nearly 1,070 emergency hampers and provide 860 winter coats last year.
Its 5,280 volunteers, she reports, also helped provide more than 5,800 sets of clothing, 5,073 nights of warm lodging and 7,674 hours of life-skills training.