More than $13,000 to help those in need in Delta is certainly better than nothing.
That’s how much was generated from last Saturday’s Fourth Annual Coldest Night of the Year charity walk - a key fundraiser for Deltassist. The event had to go virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic after raising more than $26,000 in 2020. Still, it was better than the alternative of cancelling it altogether with the funding being applied to the agency’s food security and low-income senior programs.
Typically, all participants would gather at a designated location where they would walk a mapped out course then return for a sponsored wrap-up dinner.
“With COVID, it just wasn’t the same as having an event,” said Lorraine Yates, Manager of Seniors and Community Services for Deltassist. “We were very happy to have some last-minute businesses step up and give us online donations. Overall, we are pretty pleased with the total and it certainly will help our food security and programs for seniors living on their own on low income.”
Yates added she is looking forward to the 2022 edition when hopefully the pandemic will be behind us.
“Hopefully it will be a humdinger next year. The first two years it was held in North Delta and we will probably go back to Ladner again before looking to go to Tsawwassen for a couple of years as we move it through the community,” she added.
Nationally, Coldest Night of the Year raised $9.5 million.
The 2022 event is scheduled for Feb. 22.
