Red Deerians ramping up for Coldest Night of the Year walking fundraiser

Similar to a marathon-style fundraiser, leading up to the event, registered teams are expected to do peer-to-peer fundraising and spur donations for the time they’ll be walking.

Whether you’d like to register to walk by yourself, join a team or start a team, there’s no deadline to sign up, and last-minute participants will be more than welcome to join the Food Bank or Mustard Seed team when they arrive.

Those who are unable to donate are still encouraged to attend the event and show their support.

“Even if you show up and walk and don’t donate, it’s still really wonderful to see the community recognize that we need support, for both organizations,” said Mask. “So even if people aren’t able to donate, but they’re still coming and walking and they’re still showing support for organizations, it’s very impactful and truly shows that people care about what we’re doing.”

This year, the two organizations hope to raise $70,000, which will be split evenly between them. These funds are intended to support each organization, however they see fit moving forward.

Mask said that at the Food Bank, that money will likely go toward operational costs and unexpected expenses or needs that pop up moving forward.

Jonathan Hildebrandt, volunteer and community engagement coordinator for The Mustard Seed, said it will likely help fund their school lunch program, although that has yet to be decided officially.

“That’s one of our biggest and most expensive programs to run here,” he explained.

As of 1 p.m. on Feb. 4, just over $27,000, or about 38 per cent of their goal, has been raised.

Last year, the two organizations raised about $45,000 of their $50,000 goal, which Mask said was excellent for a first-year partnership. The Mustard Seed had previously been running the event on its own and took a one-year break before partnering with the Red Deer Food Bank.

Hildebrandt provided some context for this year’s walk, highlighting a growing need for support.

“The last Point in Time count showed that in the last two years, the amount of people in Red Deer that are experiencing homelessness has more than doubled,” he said. “It’s something that’s really outgrown our capacity for our operations here in Red Deer, but that being said, that’s normal for us: constantly turning people away because we’re at capacity, which is a really hard and sad thing to do.”

In addition to support at the CNOY event, Hildebrandt said The Mustard Seed is always in need of volunteers and clean, warm and dry winter clothing.

The Food Bank, Mask said, is currently asking for canned meals like ravioli or soup, as well as cereal and pasta.

by Ashley Lavallee-Koenig

Red Deerians ramping up for Coldest Night of the Year walking fundraiser

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