Samaritan House Ministries in downtown Brandon is extremely thankful for two reasons that today is their Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) fundraising event!
First, they have well surpassed their goal of raising $20,000 and secondly, the temperature has warmed up for their participants!
As of Friday afternoon, Samaritan House Ministries raised well over $24,000 through this national fundraiser.
The annual event raises funds for local foodbanks across Canada by sponsoring walks through their cities on February 22nd, today.
"It was wonderful to see this amount raised! It's truly a blessing. Our community has rallied around us again," shares Executive Director Heather Symbalisty. "If you can't walk with us at 4 o'clock then maybe you can walk it later in the day. Or sometimes there are groups of people that will get together and do it earlier. So, it doesn't have to be at the exact time of the event, at 4:00. Any type of participation is always great to see!"
The Samaritan House Ministries' Coldest Night of the Year event takes place today at 4:00 pm beginning at the Knox United Church in Brandon. But participants can still sign up by visiting the website and finding BRANDON on the list of cities named.
"We'll have a few forms available at the walk for anyone who would still like to join," adds Symbalisty. "So, yes we're very excited to have the event take place again this year!"
"We want to extend a heartfelt thank you for helping us again this year, and for helping us in the Coldest Night event, and making it successful," says Symbalisty. "It's wonderful to see all of the sponsors come on board to continue supporting this event."
Funds will be allocated to the Samaritan House food bank or their Safe & Warm Shelter.
"It has been a challenging year especially with the cold and especially with the donations of food that have been down," she adds. "So, it will go to either program and be utilized to its fullest extent."
For more information on Samaritan House Ministries visit their website HERE!