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Coldest Night of the Year returning to Orangeville with in-person event

February 10, 2022   ·   0 Comments

By Sam Odrowski

The 5^th Annual Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser is returning to Orangeville Feb. 26 and will be running in-person for the first time since 2020.

The event is a family-friendly walk, featuring 2km and 5km routes, with the goal of raising $75,000 this year for the Orangeville Food Bank

So far about $43,000 has been donated, with 40 teams and almost 200 walkers registered.

“It’s a great day. It’s fun. We try to make it as energetic and lively as we possibly can. The fact that we get to do it in person this year is pretty exciting. We haven’t been able to get out a lot, so I think if people can get out, they should come out,” said Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) co-organizer Savanaha O’Reilly.

At 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 26 check-in opens for the CNOY Walk in front of the Orangeville Food Bank and its executive director Heather Hayes will deliver opening remarks there at 4 p.m.

There will be a walker send off for both the 2km and 5km routes at 4:15 p.m.

Anyone who doesn’t feel comfortable attending the in-person walk is welcome to do a route on their own prior to the event or on the day.

“This will be our fifth year participating in CNOY and we are thrilled to be able to offer the option of a carefully planned in-person event, as well as a virtual walk. The idea is for the walkers to experience the cold and dark and appreciate how blessed we all are with our own lives,” said Hayes.

Mark’s Marchers team, which has Cathy Wilson as the team Capitan, has raised the most money so far, with $3,690 already collected.

It’s not too late to register a team of your own, visit: cnoy.org/register and follow the instructions to join in on the fundraising.

All of the funds generated through the Coldest Night of the Year help the Orangeville Food Bank with assisting those who are food insecure in our community. The organization has seen an increase in demand over the past few years, making it an increasingly important organization for people to support.

The local food bank serves more than 700 people per month, with 36 per cent of their clients being children, which is eight per cent higher than the provincial average. It has seen a 210 per cent increase in the number of working families accessing it since 2017.

The Orangeville Food Bank distributed 450,000 lbs of food last year and increased its purchasing of perishable food by 75 per cent, offering more nutritious meals to those in need.

This year has seen record support from businesses in the community, with $14,500 raised in sponsorship so far.

O’Reilly noted that the Orangeville Food Bank asks that anyone who plans on attending the in-person event to wear a mask.

For all of the event details please visit: cnoy.org/location/orangeville

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