As hundreds of people filed out of Twin Lakes Secondary School to begin Saturday’s Coldest Night of the Year walk, one man took a seat and took notice.
“It’s overwhelming to see people that care so much for people like me,” said the man, who has been relying on the services of the Lighthouse Soup Kitchen and Shelter. “(The fundraiser) helps the homeless and, unfortunately, I’m homeless.”
Speaking with Lighthouse executive director Linda Goodall, the man said, “When you have nothing, the Lighthouse is something you can rely on, and I do rely on the Lighthouse. Without it, I’d be walking around outside with an empty belly.”
That’s what Coldest Night of the Year is all about: raising money and awareness in an effort to combat homelessness.
Organizers set a $140,000 fundraising goal for the seventh annual Orillia walk. As of Saturday night, almost $110,000 had been raised, and donations will be accepted online until March 31.
“It’s looking like we’re heading toward reaching our goal,” Goodall said.
This year’s walk brought out 65 teams — four more than last year — and 547 people registered online. People showed up to register on site, too. Volunteers also came out in force, numbering 166.
“Every year, I’m overwhelmed. I’m just in awe of the community coming together like this,” Goodall said.
Orillia consistently sets an example for the other 143 communities taking part in the fundraiser, with the local walk coming in sixth overall and first per capita for fundraising.
The Faris Team, the event’s lead sponsor, did its part to help Saturday. Mark Faris surprised organizers during opening ceremonies when he presented a cheque for $13,600.
The real-estate company decided to donate a portion of all home sales in Orillia to the Lighthouse, and it’s something it will continue to do.
Members of the Faris Team volunteered to prepare and serve meals at the Lighthouse as part of the shelter’s Feed 50 program.
While the company has supported the Lighthouse for years, that experience hit home, especially when Faris saw a woman and her two-year-old daughter having dinner.
“When I saw that, it just took it to another level,” he said.
He noticed the dinner guests were “super-appreciative” of the gesture.
“There was hope when they came in,” he said.
Money raised through Coldest Night of the Year will go toward the Lighthouse and the Building Hope campaign to build a new shelter and community services hub, scheduled to open in the spring of 2021. About $1.5 million of the $14.5-million fundraising goal still needs to be raised, and the Faris Team donation “will help us reach our capital goal,” Goodall said.
Members of Team Snow Angel were happy to help Saturday.
”It raises a great amount of awareness and it’s a real sense of community,” team captain Brittany Carrick said when she arrived at the Queen Street site of Building Hope, a stop on Saturday’s route. “It’s only a couple of hours of your life. It’s the least we can do.”
“It’s such a great cause to raise money for, and I love that it’s local,” added fellow team member Vanessa Clarke. “If we’re lucky enough to be warm all the time and it’s something we take for granted, we should get out and show our support.”
The Orillia Public Library entered a team again this year, and it’s a cause close to many who work there.
“The library does a lot of work with the Lighthouse throughout the year, so any support we can give them is really helpful,” said Sarah Papple, the library’s director of children and youth services. “We’ve developed a close relationship with the staff at the Lighthouse and a lot of the people who have been helped by the Lighthouse.”
To find out more about the Lighthouse and Building Hope, click here.
Lighthouse, by the numbers (2019)
-
More than 400 men served in the 14-bed facility
-
366 assisted through the motel voucher program
-
266 people assisted through the housing support program
-
Almost 25,000 meals served
