Cold night, warm hearts

North End

Winnipeg

Even the cold depths of winter can’t staunch the giving spirit.

On Saturday, Feb. 28, dozens of Winnipeggers will join thousands of others across the county as they take to the streets to support the unhoused, hungry and hurt as part of the annual Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) fundraiser.

The local walk, organized by the Leftovers Foundation, begins at Sgt. Tommy Prince Place (90 Sinclair St.) at 5 p.m.. Participants can choose to walk a 2.5 kilometre or a five-kilometre route, with a warm meal at the finish line. Those who raise over $150, or $75 for youth, will also receive CNOY toques.

“The main goal is to put a spotlight on the unhoused and how they deal with our harsh Canadian winters,” said Alyssa Wolfe, operations manager for the Leftovers Foundation. “It is a fundraiser walk, so we’re physically out in the cold, experiencing it alongside our community.”

This marks the second year the Leftovers Foundation has been involved with the walk.

“Last year, it was great,” Wolfe said. “We didn’t meet our goal, so it was small and humble, but overall it was fun, and we’re hoping to expand a little bit every year. We only made about $8,600, which is still nothing to sneeze at. We had 10 teams, and about 50 participants total.”

This year, the group has set a fundraising goal of $26,000 to help fund the expansion of its food rescue efforts, as the demand for services rises and food security becomes an increasingly pressing issue.

“Since we launched in Winnipeg, we have seen a dramatic increase in organizations that exist to help people with food access. Last year, we transported over 600,000 pounds of food to over 150 non-profit organizations across the city,” Wolfe said. “ We’re very low-barrier. We’re not a food bank. We have a small vetting process for service agencies, to assure that they are indeed serving those in need.”

Among the groups Leftovers supports is Resource Assistance for Youth (RAY).

“They’re one of our amazing agencies,” Wolfe said. “They have an in-house kitchen to prepare meals, as well as a hamper program and a take-what.”

Since 2020, the Leftovers Foundation has rescued over 3.2 million pounds of food from ending up in landfills in both Alberta and Manitoba, almost entirely through volunteer effort. In Manitoba, the organization works in Winnipeg, Selkirk and Gimli.

“We really can rescue anything — from ingredients, produce, to ready-made meals, even catering events — though there are more diligent safety measures needed for those,” Wolfe said. “Food rescue is continuing to become more and more necessary as food prices continue to rise. There’s always food that needs to be rescued, and there’s no reason for any of it to go to waste. But we need help making that happen. We couldn’t do the work we do without our volunteers. We’re a registered charity. Every little bit helps.”

The Coldest Night of the Year walk takes place on Saturday, Feb. 28 at Sergeant Tommy Prince Place (90 Sinclair St.). Registration is at 4 p.m., the walk at 5, and dinner at 6 p.m. For more information, or to make a donation, visit cnoy.org/location/winnipegnorthend