Last weekend's Coldest Night of the Year two, five and 10-km walk in Cloverdale raised $58,000 for the new community kitchen – nearly double what organizers had been aiming for.
The Feb. 22 event – held on what was unexpectedly, at least on the normally balmy southwest coast, one of snowiest, most miserable evenings of the year – saw 27 teams and nearly 260 walkers take to the streets.
There was a groundswell of support for the walk in Cloverdale, one of three taking place in Surrey on the same day as part of a nation-wide campaign to assist homelessness initiatives.
The initial target had been set at $30,000 – enough money to launch the new Cloverdale Community Kitchen, hosted and built by Pacific Community Church, which also sponsored the Coldest Night of the Year walk.
A call out to the community resulted in an outpouring of support in the form of teams, participants, and sponsors.
Teams like the top-earning Betty Lau team (team BLT) raised $9,750 in pledges, helping push Cloverdale to 9th in Canada, and number-one in B.C., despite being nearer the middle of the pack in terms of numbers of participating teams.
The funds will help launch the Cloverdale Community Kitchen, which is already serving up hot meals and nourishment to local homeless and needy individuals and families.
The walk functioned as the kitchen's official grand opening.
See related: 'Community kitchen project on target'
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