Coldest Night of the Year returns to New Hamburg Feb. 28 in support of WWRC
- Feb 5
- 4 min read
By Galen Simmons
Teams of walkers across Wilmot and Wellesley townships and the surrounding areas are raising pledges and gearing up to once again venture out into the cold for this year’s Coldest Night of Year fundraiser in New Hamburg.
With 19 teams and 58 walkers already registered for the annual fundraising walk in support of the Wilmot Wellesley Resource Centre (WWRC), and more than $9,500 pledged as of Feb. 3, organizers have every expectation this year’s event will reach and perhaps even exceed its $40,000 goal – a feat accomplished last year when 138 local walkers raised a combined $41,000.
“We're right on target with walkers and teams,” said Katie Fisher, events and communications lead at the WWRC. “It fills itself out in the last three weeks quite a bit. We've been getting some sponsors, some new sponsors, and this year we have some entertainment to help cheer people on while they are heading out for the walk.”
Along with a demonstration by the New Hamburg Royal Canadian Air Cadets 822 Tudor Squadron, members of which also help with setup at both the New Hamburg Community Centre before the walk and at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 532 next door where walkers gather for a meal afterward, Fisher said she has arranged for Waterloo-based, roots-inspired, folk-rock band Folklore Junction to perform as a way to motivate walkers to head out into the cold.
This year, the teams of walkers – many of which dress in coordinated costumes – will gather at the community centre beginning at 4 p.m. to enjoy games, opportunities to take photos, live music and greetings and words of encouragement from WWRC executive director Trisha Robinson before heading out into the cold at 5 p.m.
Walkers will embark on either a 2.5-kilometre or five-kilometre route, depending on their ability, before finishing off at the Legion for some comradery and a supper of chili, mac ‘n’ cheese, hot dogs and dessert.
“It’s not just a fundraiser, it’s a community event where people can feel the warmth of the community even though it's cold,” Fisher said. “It's not just, ‘Let's just go for a walk and go home.’ It's a meal and entertainment and so much more than just a fundraiser.”
And while the event certainly generates that sense of warmth for participants, it also provides warmth for those who desperately need it this time of year through the programs and services offered by WWRC.
“Our numbers have gone up for food bank and people out in the cold,” Robinson said. “We're giving out sleeping bags and gas vouchers to keep their cars warm because they're living in their cars. It's just things have gotten a lot more complicated, and the needs have really increased. We have tents and heaters and boots, and people are living in motels. People are living in unheated trailers and when we try to find them places (to live), it's nearly impossible because of the housing situation and because of low incomes, and rents keep going up.
“We know that the food we give to people is crucial. We do weekly hampers; there's no other food banks doing that. But when I go back to the staff and say, ‘Should we go back to monthly,’ because we started weekly at COVID, they just say no because people are relying on that food, and we know people are only eating that food.”
According to a report presented to Wilmot council by the WWRC, between January and October 2025, the WWRC distributed 3,515 weekly food hampers to 294 unique households, feeding 10,172 individuals. Those numbers represent a 156 per-cent spike in demand over 2024, with demand only increasing over the holiday season and beyond.
The WWRC also provided the following support for locals in need:
Parenting support: Served 103 families through 29 programs and 92 sessions.
Mental health counselling: Provided 40 family counselling sessions.
Youth support: Distributed 91 backpacks via the Backpack Program.
Housing assistance: Supported 25 individuals (20 adults, five children) through subsidies, shelter essentials, first and last month’s rent, moving costs, gas vouchers (to keep vehicles warm), propane, air mattresses, sleeping bags, tents, utilities costs, phone cards, mini fridges, medication, glasses, cab fares, pet supplies, swim passes (for showers and warming) and other essential services.
Referrals: Made 5,000 referrals, including 25 critical interventions addressing self-harm or suicidal ideation.
Harm reduction supplies: Delivered over 100 items since July 2025 to five to 10 regular clients.
Harm reduction strategies: Partnered with Region of Waterloo Public Health’s Neighborhood Nursing Team to provide outreach/travel to marginalized community members on a weekly basis by offering and delivering harm-reduction and sexual-health supplies.
For more information and to register for the Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser in New Hamburg, visit cnoy.org/location/wilmot. To learn more about the programs and services offered by the WWRC, visit wilmotwellesleyrc.ca.