That a community the size of Greater Napanee was able to raise over $61,000 and counting for the Coldest Night of the Year would be amazing in any year.
The fact this community was able to do it while hosting the walk virtually in the middle of a global pandemic is all the more impressive.
That’s not to say it’s totally surprising. This community has always shown an ability to dig deep into pockets to help a truly worthy cause that often rivals population sizes nearly double its own. Still, even the most optimistic of people would be taken aback when the local Coldest Night of the Year event eclipsed its goal of $50,000 a few days before the day of the walk and obliterated 2020’s mark of $43,000. Last year’s event was one of the last in-person fundraisers held in town before the first COVID-19 lockdown and saw a big turn out of walkers. They gathered at Trinity United Church for a small pep talk and then hit the frosty outdoors. This year it became clear early on that things would have to be different. Rather than scrap the much-needed event altogether, organizers decided to roll the dice and see what kind of turnout they could muster. The people of this community didn’t disappoint.
While this region has since moved back to ‘green’ status under the Public Health colour-coded system, organizers made the wise decision to hold the event physically distanced style. This gave families the opportunity to walk whenever and where ever was most convenient for them. That appeared to work out to their advantage as evident by the funds that were generated.
Money raised from the walk go to the Morningstar Mission, which does outstanding work in the community to help those in need get the essentials of food and shelter. It was barely five years ago that the issue of homelessness was an invisible one in Greater Napanee. And in some ways it still is-compared to a major city such as Toronto, visitors to Greater Napanee’s downtown core won’t encounter many people living on the street. But that doesn’t mean those situations don’t exist within our boundaries. Kevin Alkenbrack and the volunteers at the Mission have been great advocates for the homeless of this community and have made a positive difference. The sobering reality is it doesn’t take much for a person to find themselves without a safe, warm place to lay their head at night. Often it’s circumstances beyond their control that lead to the street. February always serves as a stark reminder of just how harsh Canadian winters can be as most of us hustle from the warmth of a car to a home, aiming to spend as little time outdoors this time of year as possible. An estimated 35,000 Canadians don’t have that option on any given night.
While politicians at all levels work through red tape, grass roots organizations like the Mission are on the ground, helping those who need it now. Thanks to the generosity of this community, they’re now able to do more of that great work.
-Adam Prudhomme