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Cloverdale businesses challenged to step up on Coldest Night of the Year

Challenge hopes to push fundraiser closer to its goal
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The Coldest Night of the Year event aims to raise both money and awareness around the issue of homelessness in Canada.

Attention all Cloverdale-area businesses — you have a challenger in your midst.

Local businesswoman Jen Temple is throwing down the gauntlet by challenging all local businesses and their employees to come out and walk on the Coldest Night of the Year in Cloverdale.

The Coldest Night of the Year event is a national fundraising walk for homelessness, held in communities across the country. In the last five years, Cloverdale’s walk, which supports the Cloverdale Community Kitchen, has raised more than $250,000 alone.

This year’s fundraising goal is $75,000 — the biggest yet — and it will go towards feeding hundreds of people in the community.

Both the kitchen and Cloverdale’s only extreme weather shelter run out of the Pacific Community Church, and both are seeing increased attendance.

The shelter has expanded its capacity and its operating hours this winter, and the kitchen estimates that attendance at its three weekly meals has risen by 20 per cent in the past year.

Temple’s corporate challenge is a first for the Cloverdale walk; she’s issuing it to help the kitchen make its goal. As of Tuesday morning (Feb. 5), only 36 per cent of the goal had been raised.

Businesses aren’t just helping their neighbours by participating in the challenge, they’re also competing for prizes.

Every individual person that signs up under the corporate challenge, whether they are a business owner or an employee, is entered into a draw to win a $50 gift card. The corporate team that raises the most funds will win a $200 gift certificate to a local restaurant so that the team members can celebrate.

Of course, the winning team secures bragging rights, too.

The Coldest Night of the Year fundraising walk takes place on Saturday, Feb. 23. Opening ceremonies kick off at 5 p.m. at the Cloverdale Community Kitchen, located at 5337 180 Street.

Teams and individuals can register, donate, or learn about sponsorship, at cnoy.org/location/surreycloverdale. For more information, contact event organizer Courtney van den Boogaard at 605-574-4001 ext. 107, or email courtney@mycck.ca.



editor@cloverdalereporter.com

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