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Coldest Night of the Year raises record $155k for Orangeville Food Bank

February 29, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Sam Odrowski

The Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser returned to Orangeville on Saturday (Feb. 24) with a record number of walkers, teams and dollars raised.

Nearly 530 walkers split between 82 teams raised $156,389 for the food bank, which will go a long way in supporting its operations, particularly at a time when donations slow down. 

“That money is so important because we have seen 35 per cent growth [in people accessing food over last year] here at the Orangeville Food Bank,” said Heather Hayes, the food bank’s executive director. “We aren’t keeping up with what’s going out our front door.”

Between 50,000 and 55,000 lbs of food are distributed through the organization each month, so fundraisers like CNOY are critical to its success, as it receives zero government funding. 

Hayes said there was a festive atmosphere outside of the food bank as teams prepared to walk their 2km or 5km routes for CNOY, with a volunteer magician performing and local artist Jim Menkins doing a live ice carving.

“It felt very celebratory, but at the same time, with the -18 temperatures that we experienced the night before. It was cold enough to remind people why we were really there,” said Hayes. 

The Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) event is set mid-winter in the evening to give participants a sense of what homelessness during a Canadian winter might feel like. Tens of thousands of Canadians participate in CNOY each February across 190 communities. Since 2011, they’ve raised over $75 million for charities that help address homelessness and hunger. 

The event provides a chance for like-minded individuals to gather and focus on advocating for solutions to food insecurity and poverty. 

“It’s a chance to highlight the fact that we do need a policy change both provincially and federally, but as a community, we are very concerned about our neighbors, our friends, and our family,” Hayes said.

She told the Citizen food banks are not a sustainable solution to food insecurity. 

“The more people that understand that food banks don’t receive provincial or federal funding, the more people that understand that we have a policy problem in our province, and that we’re not supporting people the way they need to be supported. That’s what we have to continue to get across to people,” said Hayes.

The last time food banks received government funding was in 2020, when the provincial government gave Feed Ontario $8 million. Those funds were spent by Ontario’s food banks within two weeks.

“We’re doing it on our own, and as the need gets bigger, we’re really going to have to have some tough conversations about how we can continue to do this because we won’t be able to meet the need,” Hayes noted.

Looking ahead to 2027-2028, she’s projecting 5,000 to 6,000 monthly visitors, which would require 2.3 million lbs of food per year unless economic conditions greatly improve or there’s significant policy change.

“This is happening in all food banks across the province, they are having the same discussions and the same struggles right now,” Hayes explained. “We’re at the point now where we have to have conversations about if we can keep up with the amount of food that we’re distributing or are we going to have to cut back.”

She added, “It makes my stomach tighten up in knots thinking about how we’re going to be able to manage this.”

But the over $155,000 raised through this year’s event will help keep the Orangeville Food Bank functioning at a time when it receives fewer donations. 

“Food banks receive a lot of focus from September through to December,” Hayes said. “The fall through the winter brings about garden harvests and reminds us with the cooler weather that not everyone has the same circumstances. Having CNOY in February brings a focus to the needs of those who are hungry, hurting, and homeless in our community and provides a much-needed influx of funds so that we can continue our work throughout the year.”

Last year’s CNOY event had 417 walkers across 56 teams, raising roughly $120,000.

Donations are still accepted online for CNOY until the end of March. To donate locally, visit: cnoy.org/location/orangeville. 

Hayes said she’d like to thank all the CNOY supporters who donated, and participated in the event, as well as the 90 volunteers who helped make it possible.

“We’re incredibly grateful for everybody who came out to support us,” she told the Citizen. “This event and this food bank doesn’t run without community support.”

Hayes added, “It is always humbling to see how many people have our backs and have the community’s back at an event like this.”

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