2023 Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY website)

By Alessia Proietti

February 24

Coldest Night of the Year walk returns with The Mustard Seed and the Red Deer Food Bank

Feb 23, 2024 | 3:10 PM

This year, The Mustard Seed is bringing back their partnership with Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) and the Red Deer Food Bank for their annual fundraising walk.

The free event will take place on February 24 at 4 p.m., with the start location for both the two and five-kilometre walks at The Mustard Seed (6002 54 Ave.).

Deemed Canada’s largest fundraising walk to combat poverty and homelessness, the organization says tens of thousands of individuals and groups join annually to step outside the warmth and comfort of their homes to shine a light of welcome and compassion in their communities.

Since 2011, CNOY has raised over $96,000,000 across Canada in 166 communities with 100 per cent of net proceeds staying local to support charity partners.

The Mustard Seed cancelled the 2023 event, stating, “the cost to partner with CNOY has become far greater than the benefits to the people and communities we serve.”

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However, this year, Scott Tilbury, Senior Development Officer of The Mustard Seed and co-lead for CNOY Red Deer, says they and the Blue Sea Foundation, the organizer of the event, have come to a new financial agreement.

“We are very excited to be participating in Coldest Night of the Year again this year following some internal restructuring. Our team met with the team at Blue Sea and we were able to come to an amicable agreement,” he said.

In celebration of each of their 40th anniversaries, the local charity has partnered with the Red Deer Food Bank.

The Food Bank covers an area of 20,000 square kilometres in central Alberta, supplying food to nearby food banks in Blackfalds, Innisfail, Lacombe, Olds, Ponoka, Rocky Mountain House, Rimbey, Sylvan Lake, Stettler, and more, as well as to agencies like The Mustard Seed, Potter’s Hands, Women’s Outreach, and the Boy’s and Girl’s Club (BGC). Unique services at the Food Bank include the Community Kitchen and a new food production capacity to serve as social enterprises to feed families in need of support.

According to their website, as of February 23, 125 walkers have registered for the Red Deer walk and raised $29,457 of their $30,000 goal.

Participants can join in person where, after check-in, the walks will have signed routes, rest stops, and volunteers. Tilbury says there will also be a tent and hay bales outside with carnival-type activities, music, and a photo booth. Snacks and drinks will be served inside before and after the run, provided by Starbucks, with a chilli dinner from Independent Grocers, door prizes, raffles, and awards for the top five fundraising teams.

Participants can also organize their own off-site fundraisers with friends or individually if they can’t make it to the event date.

“We encourage them to walk where they’re at! They could be at Lake Louise, Jasper, Saskatoon, they could be somewhere across the country or somewhere hot; they could be at a beach somewhere where we would like to be right now,” he said jokingly.

Walkers who raise $150 or more, or $75 for those under the age of 18, will receive a CNOY toque as a thank you, while supplies last.

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