Coldest Night of the Year promotional image. It's colour out there, Feb 24, 2024, cnoy.org.

Coldest Night of the Year Thank You and Highlights

What is Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY)

Coldest Night of the Year is a family-friendly event allowing attendees to walk either 2km or 5km to support charities serving homeless and impoverished people. At the same time, hundreds of charities across Canada participate together to walk in support of people facing homelessness and poverty. Since 2011, when CNOY first started, the organization has raised over $75 million across 190 communities in Canada.

What this means to us

Each night, our street outreach team walks more than 2km to meet our street friends where they are and provide them with some essentials such as food, usually sandwiches, a beverage and granola bar, socks, hygiene products, and more. Joining this event means our street teams go out each night with a full wagon, giving out essentials to all they meet. A full wagon means the money raised by the CNOY walk goes a long way to making a lasting impact on our street friends’ It means we don't have to turn people away or ration our supplies because the demand exceeds our resources.

Thank You – The Metropolitan Bible Church

We thank The Metropolitan Bible Church (The Met) for their incredible support and hospitality. The Met exemplified the true meaning of generosity by providing space as a gathering place and pre- and post-celebrations. From granting access to their kitchen appliances, which enabled us to prepare an excellent hot meal and plate an excellent dessert, to providing us access to their audio-visual system for high-quality speeches and entertainment, The Met played a vital role in making our event a resounding success. We are immensely grateful and look forward to returning to The Met for our 2025 walk!

A picture of the Metropolitan Bible Church (The Met)

Thank You – Donors, Walkers and Volunteers

Donors

We are beyond grateful for the outcome of this year's Coldest Night of the Year. We set a goal of $25,000, and our community stepped up. Together, we raised over $38,000 this year. This achievement is thanks to all the work you did to raise funds and engagement by your family, friends and the larger community.

Walkers

This year, our walkers braved the cold as February 24 was, in fact, the coldest night of the year. We welcomed over 100 walkers to join us for our 2.5km walk to experience what our Street Outreach teams do each night of the year. Thank you for joining us, experiencing the weather our volunteers face each night, whether rain or shine and experiencing what our street friends face during the cold winter months.

Volunteers

Thank you to all our volunteers who played an integral role in making our event run smoothly. Your commitment to seamless registration and timely check-ins was invaluable. Your assistance with preparing the warm meal following the walk was greatly appreciated. We are grateful to everyone who helped set up and take down various event aspects, ensuring maximum enjoyment for everyone involved.

Thank You – Community Sponsors

re-Source Thrift Shop

Thank you to our Lead Sponsor, re-Source Thrift Shop, for significantly contributing to our fundraising goal this year. Your contribution will ensure that our street friends get the resources they need.

Starbucks Barrhaven

Thank you to Starbucks Barrhaven for providing coffee and tea along the route to make the event so enjoyable. Your friendly staff were amazing as they chatted with guests and made the rest stop and walk, which was much more engaging.

Equator Coffee Roasters

Thank you to Equator Coffee for providing coffee at the beginning and end of our walk. Whether it was before or after our walk, everyone enjoyed the hot beverages you provided for us.

A picture of Starbucks employees serving OIM walkers cofee and tea.

Solid ROck Realty

Thank you to Solid Rock Realty for providing hot chocolate and popcorn at the halfway point of our walk, making it a very delicious halfway point for our walkers. Many people commented on the perfect popcorn and hot chocolate and the ability to come inside and warm up a little before the long walk back.

Oneway ministries

Thank you to One-Way Ministries for helping us reach our goal of $25,000 and supporting our Street Outreach teams. Your generosity has made a tangible impact on our community.

A picture of two Solid Rock Realty employees serving popcorn to a young child, all of whom are smiling.

Thank You – City Councilor Sean Devine (Ward 9 Knoxdale-Merivale)

Sean Devine

A special thanks to City Councilor Sean Devine, Ward 9 Councilor, for the district we walked through this year. Your presence and support at this year's event were deeply appreciated. It was special to have you walk alongside us, share a hot meal, and gain firsthand insight into our Street Outreach teams' work. Thank you for your commitment to our cause.

Join Us in 2025 – Save the Date

We invite you to join us for CNOY 2025 on February 22, 2025, at The Met as we continue to make a lasting impact through our Street Outreach teams. We look forward to seeing you there and seeing returning faces and sponsors. Together, we can bring about positive change in our community.

Online Giving is open until March 31, 2024

You can donate online if you haven’t had a chance to give. Donations are accepted until March 31, 2024. To donate, visit the CNOY donation page.

Photo Highlights

Below are a few highlights from this year's CNOY event. If you would like copies of any of these pictures, contact Andrew.Murphy@ottawainnercityministries.ca.