On Saturday, community members will come together to help those who are hungry, hurt, or unhoused. The annual Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser is set for Feb. 28.
There are two fundraising walks happening in the city, with one supporting Streets Alive Mission and another helping Wood’s Homes Lethbridge.
STREETS ALIVE MISSION
A second walk is happening in downtown Lethbridge, in support of Streets Alive Mission.
Streets Alive offers programs for unhoused individuals, including an emergency food pantry. Like the Wood’s Homes walk, the downtown event features both a five and two-kilometre route for participants, beginning and ending at Festival Square.
“The Coldest Night of the Year event is something Streets Alive Mission has been doping for 15 years,” said Streets Alive’s Chief Development Officer Jennifer Lepko, adding it is a nation-wide event.
“There are over 200 locations across Canada that are doing this walk.”
Check-in is at 4 p.m. at Festival Square. The walk starts at 5 p.m., and a light meal will be served following the walk at 6 p.m.
Lepko said hosting their walk downtown has a special meaning.
“We do see a lot of our population that we serve [in the] downtown and so, it makes sense that we kind of walk in that area because we’re kind of taking a minute to walk in their footsteps.”
The fundraising goal for Streets Alive Mission is $70,000.
More information, including registration details, for the downtown walk is available here.
WOOD’S HOMES
The Wood’s Homes walk is set to take place at Henderson Lake, beginning at Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden. Participants will walk a loop around the area, which will bring them back to Nikka Yuko for an event wrap-up.
Walkers can move along a five kilometre or two kilometre route, with check-in set for 4 p.m., the walk at 5 p.m. and a light meal served afterwards at 6 p.m.
Funds raised will support Wood’s Homes, which operates the Emergency Youth Shelter that serves people aged 12 to 17 who are facing or at risk of homelessness.
The fundraising goal for Wood’s Homes is $20,000.
Further details about the Henderson Lake walk are available here.
