Santa, other cyclists brave nasty weather to spread goodwill, supplies

The weather was frightful — at times undeniably dangerous for cycling on city streets—but that didn’t stop more than a dozen riders from braving heavy snowfall and blustery winds for the 14th annual Cycle With Santa on Friday.

Equipped with thick tires built for winter riding, goggles to shield their eyes from blowing snow and dressed in an array of festive Christmas outfits, the cyclists pedalled through Winnipeg’s inner city with more than 1,000 pieces of clothing strapped to their backs, delivering warmth and cheer to those in need.

Event organizer Kerry LeBlanc donned his best Santa Claus suit to lead the pack as they rode through the city searching for people who could use a lift in spirit — or supplies.

“Cycling with Santa is just going for a ride out in the community and trying to bring some love and joy to the streets through humour, through just riding our bicycles,” LeBlanc said. “It originated with me just going for a ride one year, wearing a Santa suit, and it’s grown to a 14-year now annual event, where we have as many as 25 riders come out and understand the need for joy and love in the streets at this time of year.”

LeBlanc was adamant that the event would go ahead, snow or shine.

“We’re going to be out on the road for 90 minutes,” he said. “The folks that we visit, the charities are doing it every day, 24-7. We think it’s a little bit of a challenge for us for 90 minutes, but just think of our people living in the streets every day, and the charity groups that are working in the homeless sector every day fighting the fight.”

This year, the Brothers of the Fork crew — a casual group of philanthropic cyclists and humanitarians — also came bearing cash.

The group donated $20,000 to five charities, including Resource Assistance for Youth Inc. and Inner City Youth Alive, which received their donations during a small gathering at True North Square before riders set out.

“We’ve got plenty of youth that are sleeping outdoors,” said Kate Sjoberg, CEO of RaY Inc. “We don’t have enough housing in the city for the folks that really need it.

“This is going to continue to be an issue for a little bit longer, and it’s really our privilege to work with people every day who know how to survive and trust us enough to help them a little bit along the way here and there.”

Victoria, a young woman who accessed RaY more than a year ago while experiencing homelessness, said the organization has played a crucial role in her life.

“RaY’s helped me quite a bit and not just in finding a new home, but getting to be more out there and more socialized, and I always feel like I have a safe place to go when I need to,” she said. “There’s counselling. There are people I can talk to, and the best part is they make me friends. So it makes me feel included, and I feel safe.”

From True North Square, riders made stops at city hall and Centennial Concert Hall before heading to N’Dinawemak, their first major destination of the afternoon.

“Every shelter has a closing time for cleaning, and people get stuck out on the street for that hour to hour and a half every single day,” said Nicholas Candaele, one of the N’Dinawemak’s directors. “So what Kerry and his crew is doing out there is amazing. It’s really showing effort… and what our relatives go through every single day.”

Each night during the winter months, roughly 200 people access N’Dinawemak’s Disraeli Freeway shelter, with daytime numbers more than doubling as people arrive for meals, outreach and other services.

Those inside the building Friday received an added boost of holiday cheer, as the Downtown Community Safety Partnership dropped off dozens of blue backpacks filled with treats and essential winter clothing.

“It’s never too much,” Candaele said. “We also get quite a bit of backlog stuff for the rest of the winter, which is awesome.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca