As we have been announcing throughout January, we once again have a team or group of walkers who are participating in the Coldest Night of the Year. For those unfamiliar with Coldest Night of the Year, it began in 2011 with two locations, supported by three charitable partners, including Yonge Street Mission, Sanctuary Ministries in Toronto, and Ray of Hope Community Centre in Kitchener/Waterloo. From the beginning it has been a walk to raise money for shelters and other helping agencies with a focus on homelessness, and the precariously housed primarily. Since 2011, the Coldest Night of the Year has raised over $75,000,000 across Canada in 190 Canadian communities – 100% of net proceeds stay local to support the charity partners. The walk is always the last Saturday of February, so this year it will be on February 28. 

For the last five years a group of Trinity parishioners have walked as part of this event (some people have been doing this much longer with other groups) in support of Inn from the Cold in Newmarket. The first year we were still under restrictions on group gatherings so we each walked on our own. For the last 4 years we have been “Trinity Bradford Cares” and have walked as part of the larger walk in Newmarket. As we have also started to support S.H.I.F.T. for Good in Alliston the last couple of years, it was suggested that we might walk this year in support of their work in South Simcoe, which will take place in Alliston where they operate out of. Our team this year is captained by Rev. Dana, along with Bonnie Connolly, Lynn Woods and newest member Ellen Cotton. We would love to have anyone else who would like to join us in walking and raising money. We are also appreciative of those who choose to sponsor us, either as a team or as individuals. 

You can do so online at https://cnoy.w-ith.me/TrinityBradford or you may make a donation directly to Trinity in any of the usual ways, and mark it “Coldest Night”. 

S.H.I.F.T. (Support and Hope for Individuals and Families Together) for Good, through their programming, provide safe, respectful, and welcoming overnight accommodations, meals and supports to those experiencing or at-risk of experiencing homelessness and/or food insecurity in South Simcoe. They have a Mobile Street and Outreach team that visits the various communities in South Simcoe including Bradford, a Daytime Drop-in Program and an emergency overnight shelter, both at their space in Alliston. You can read more about their programming at S.H.I.F.T. for Good 

We asked current team members why they are participating: 

Rev. Dana – I had helped at a rest stop in my last parish and always intended to participate, but I also always had an excuse why this was not the year. When the pandemic happened in 2020, I began hearing increasingly how it impacted shelters in an even more profound way. While we could choose to isolate to protect ourselves, those living outdoors had an impossible choice between a crowded shelter where you were exposed to possible infection in tight quarters or living outside in the elements. That was the motivation in 2021 that got me involved. They say what you focus on is often what you see, and as I focused more on issues of homelessness and precarious housing, the more aware I became of the tremendous need as people fell through the cracks of our social safety networks. As I have done for the last five years, I intend to run 5 km in the morning (or whatever conditions allow) and walk 5 km with the team in Alliston. 

Bonnie – Walking in the Coldest Night of the Year gives me pause to reflect on the daily realities faced by people who are homeless, realities I can hardly imagine. There have been times in the winter when I’ve been absolutely freezing—even wearing a proper coat, boots, hat, mitts, and scarf. I know I can return to warmth while many cannot, and that awareness invites me to respond with compassion. This walk is a small way to stand in solidarity and support charities that offer dignity, care, and hope to those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.


Lynn – Volunteering at the Foodbank some years ago gave me my first exposure to people living on the streets in Bradford. Prior to that I was unaware that homelessness existed in Bradford. Since that initial awareness the problem has only increased. Thinking about how difficult life is for some, helps me to be thankful for what I have and realize that I have a responsibility to provide help where there is need. “Christ has no body but yours.” A quote I heard very recently, I think says all that needs to be said.