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Not quite the coldest night, but it was definitely nippy (12 photos)

The annual Coldest Night of the Year event raised more than $40,000 to support the homeless in our community

Sault Ste. Marie was one of numerous locations across the country to take part in the Coldest Night of the Year charity walk Saturday evening.

Locally, the annual fundraiser supports St. Vincent Place, a volunteer-run full service men's shelter that includes a soup kitchen, food bank and thrift store.

Sault Ste. Marie’s 24 teams, 180 participants, and 50 volunteers joined 113 locations and 17,000 walkers across Canada in support of the homeless in their communities.

The event raised more than $4 million nationally.

“Here in Sault Ste. Marie, our most generous community, we have raised up to $40,649 as of right now. Thank you!” said Event Director Jennifer Sarlo.

In 2016, St. Vincent Place served approximately 95,000 hot meals, the men’s shelter saw 337 homeless men utilize the facility, and the food bank served 3,637 adults and 876 children.  

“By taking part in the Coldest Night of the Year, St. Vincent Place is able to continue to serve the homeless and the less fortunate citizens in our community, said shelter General Manager Nat Cicchelli during his opening remarks. “By walking and donating to the Coldest Night, you all have had an impact on community members that are in need.”

Donations from this year’s Coldest Night of the Year event will help fund two upcoming and much needed projects for St. Vincent Place – the replacement of two roofs and the construction of a new banquet hall accessible entrance and elevator.

To learn more about St. Vincent Place and its services, please click here.

For more information about Coldest Night of the Year, please click here.


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Donna Hopper

About the Author: Donna Hopper

Donna Hopper has been a photojournalist with SooToday since 2007, and her passion for music motivates her to focus on area arts, entertainment and community events.
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