The Cloverdale Community Kitchen raised more than $220K during its Coldest Night of the Year fundraising event.
Donations in 2021 nearly doubled last year’s total ($125K) and more than doubled this year’s original goal of $100K.
“I am feeling overwhelmed by the generosity of our community,” said Courtney van den Boogaard, manager of community engagement for CCK. “It never ceases to amaze me that when we put out the call, the community rallies behind us to support the marginalized in our community and to ultimately make this a better place for everyone.”
SEE ALSO: Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser to support Cloverdale Community Kitchen
Four-hundred and thirty-three people participated on 68 teams this year. And while all groups participated virtually, the Feb. 20 event was still a walking, running, rolling, riding event.
“We weren’t sure what engagement would look like this year with the pandemic,” said van den Boogaard. “Although we had noticeably less walkers than last year, each participant was more actively engaged in fundraising which translated to almost double the amount of donors in 2021.”
She added this year, more than other years, saw an increased online and social media presence. She also noted the Cloverdale business community had an increased amount of support, roughly double the amount of support over last year.
SEE ALSO: Cloverdale Community Kitchen leaps closer to fundraising goal for Coldest Night of the Year
“Our programs have tripled in size since the pandemic. There are more people in need now than ever before,” explained van den Boogaard. “The community being able to raise such a significant amount of funds will allow us to continue to serve the most vulnerable in our community. The number of vulnerable persons accessing our programs is growing by the day. We see some families where neither parent has been able to work for almost a year now.”
One-hundred and forty-nine communities across Canada participated in this year’s event. Canada-wide donations came in at nearly $9.5 million.
SEE ALSO: Community Kitchen passes fundraising goal for Coldest Night event
Supporters in Cloverdale raised $223,108 as of publication time. David Groen and his team “The Hopeful Wanderers” raised the most money, coming in at $18,056. Michele Faiola raised the most by an individual, garnering $14,200 in donations.
This is beyond our wildest expectations!Thank-you to everyone. Together we have raised $217,000 for the Cloverdale...
Posted by Cloverdale Community Kitchen on Saturday, 20 February 2021
Cloverdale’s Coldest Night raised the second-highest amount of money in Canada, with Ray of Hope Community Centre in Kitchener/Waterloo raising the most ($226,868).
This is the Community Kitchen’s eighth year taking part in Coldest Night. CCK has been serving the Cloverdale area for 10 years and the funds raised will benefit those in need in Cloverdale, Langley, and Surrey.
“CNOY is about much more than meeting any goal that we set,” van den Boogaard told Cloverdale Reporter earlier this year. “The funds raised will go directly to meeting the practical needs of the vulnerable in our community and ensuring that we can continue to address food insecurity.
“The need during the current pandemic is much greater than the goal.”
For more info on Coldest Night or the Kitchen, visit mycck.ca.
Here are a few tweets from Cloverdale’s Coldest Night:
We had a great walk for the Coldest Night of the Year, although I had to keep up with Randi who was very enthusiastic about the cause. We achieved our goal & then some. Congratulations to the CNOY Team #CNOY2021 @cnoyorg @TammyRea1 pic.twitter.com/2slwxuYNUJ
— Linda Annis (@LindaAnnisBC) February 21, 2021
The Cold is not stopping the #CloverAngels from enjoying the #cnoy2021 Thanks for the love! @CloverdaleCOC @My_CCK @CloverdaleNews @CityofSurrey @Clovrdalebia pic.twitter.com/ApSCTCZZDQ
— Paul Orazietti (@Paradeguy) February 20, 2021
I decided to do the #CNY2021 virtual walk via actual bike ride. Thanks to Matt, Courtney and staff for the quick tour of the Cloverdale Community Kitchen #CCKdoesCNOY2021
— Mike Starchuk (@MikeStarchuk) February 20, 2021
Still time to donate. https://t.co/k1KUhOxm30 pic.twitter.com/2ubAljHnzY
editor@cloverdalereporter.com
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