Imagine having had nowhere to sleep last month when the overnight temperature dropped to almost -35⁰C on January 18. That’s what organizers want you to think about on the Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY), a national walk on February 20 to raise awareness for the homeless and hungry. In Huntsville, the walk supports The Table Soup Kitchen Foundation.
With two weeks left until the walk, 14 local teams with a total of 59 walkers have raised almost a quarter of The Table’s $30,000 goal in online donations.
Among the teams are the MBRP Exhausted Walkers – seven employees from local business MBRP Inc., the event’s main sponsor in Huntsville. The MBRP teams have been the top local fundraisers for several years.
“MBRP has done this for four years,” said team captain Marly Lahn, who is participating for the first time this year. “Giving back to our community is very important. It would be better if it wasn’t needed but it is and we support them (The Table Food Bank).”
MBRP co-owner Ginger Barkey said the company has been supportive of The Table beyond the CNOY walk. “Throughout the year we strongly support The Table – we do a fundraising initiative here with our social committee where we have a free lunch but we ask the team to bring in food donations for The Table, and the team has collected money as a gift to Martin (her husband and MBRP’s co-owner) which is actually a donation to The Table. That’s really appreciated especially when there’s something like eight per cent of our population that uses the food bank.”
She issued a challenge to other local businesses to join the walk. “It’s a great time to jump on board and raise awareness of why we are doing this walk. There are people who are couch hopping or don’t really have a place to go and we need to recognize that homelessness is more apparent than we see and people are still struggling to find places to live. I would love to see other businesses join. The more feet on the ground the better it is for The Table.”
It’s not too late for teams to sign up and even if you can’t walk that night you can still sign up a fundraising team and commit to completing a walk at a later date, said Berg. Algonquin Outfitters has provided prizes for the walker, team and team captain who raise the most money. And those who walk on February 20 will have warm hands and tummies at three warm-up stations with treats and drinks from Muskoka Roastery Coffee, Wheat Free Delights, Henrietta’s, and The Table Community Kitchen, with other sponsors pending.
This event is The Table’s biggest fundraiser of the year. “We are hoping that the community will come out to support us and the people who are hungry, hurting, and homeless,” said Heather Berg, The Table Soup Kitchen Foundation’s CEO. According to The Table’s latest statistics, eight per cent of Huntsville area residents have come through The Table’s food bank doors.
“Many of us know people in a difficult situation and The Table will not turn anyone away,” said Berg. “It’s such a privilege to be able to meet real needs in our community.” Visit The Table’s CNOY page for details.
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