Young Sudburian donates socks to the Samaritan Centre
In less than two months, the Samaritan Centre in Greater Sudbury will host its annual Coldest Night of the Year walk to raise funds for their work.
The hope is to have a hybrid event with participants choosing to walk two or five kilometres, either in person or virtually. But officials said Tuesday it's all dependent on what the COVID-19 situation is come Feb. 26, when the walk takes place.
Either way, it's in support of the Samaritan Centre and the work that is done there.
“The target goal is to raise $70,000," said Lisa Long, the centre's executive director. "It’s our only fundraiser that we do, so it’s a pretty big event for us."
Long said the event allows them to continue to care for the city's vulnerable citizens at their Elgin Street site.
"We house two feeding programs in our building and we have a number of support and services, such as a drop-in centre, hairdresser, outreach services for our vulnerable folks,” she said.
As part of the kickoff event Tuesday, six-year-old Sophie Hall made a donation of 527 pairs of socks. She said she was encouraged to start a sock drive after having wet socks of her own.
“I was at school in the slush one day and I discovered it isn’t nice to have wet feet," she said. "Very not nice.”
In addition to socks and other basic supplies, Long said they also need to maintain their building so they can keep caring for their clients.
“We’ve got five HVAC units on the roof (and) they’re ready to be replaced," she said.
"One was replaced last fall the other four are ready to be replaced. They’re … 17 years old and with COVID, we’ve certainly learned a lot about air quality and ventilation."
Despite the challenges, Long said she's confident residents will come through again this year.
“Every year is a reminder of just how generous this city is," she said. "Last year we had a virtual event for obvious reasons and we raised just over $100,000.”
For more information on the Coldest Night of the Year walk, click here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.