Seniors Services Society went above and beyond its fundraising goal to help the region's elderly homeless population.
The New Westminster non-profit joined a national fundraiser, called the Coldest Night of the Year, and held a local walk on Saturday. The event raised $26,585, surpassing the $25,000 target.
"We are definitely ahead of our goal, and we are just waiting for the final tally," said Brian Dodd, the society's interim executive director. "I'm feeling great. This is the first time we've done this event. We've laid a solid base for moving ahead with the event next year."
The Saturday event started and ended at Westminster Quay. There were 125 walkers forming 20 teams, and more than 400 people donated to the cause. River Market sponsored the event, and market vendors supplied snacks and hot drinks.
Many of the people who helped were friends and family of volunteers or staff at Seniors Services Society, Dodd explained.
"We had donations from across the Lower Mainland, and we had walkers from as far away as Mission and Squamish that wanted to come in and support our cause," Dodd said. "It was a resounding success. We're definitely planning on using this as an annual fundraiser for our homelessness initiatives, and it looks like the community really came out to support us."
Seniors Services Society has been struggling with a funding shortage to help Lower Mainland seniors who are either already homeless or at risk of living on the streets. The organization lost funding from United Way, which cut back on grants for seniors' programs following a dearth of donations. Then, thanks to changes in the federal funding model for homelessness programs, the society had to let go of a full-time outreach worker helping homeless seniors.
Money raised on the Coldest Night of the Year will be used to help seniors in their new homes and could cover moving costs, damage deposits, first month's rent or even kitchen supplies.
"In many cases, the seniors we are working with have lost everything," Dodd said. "We need some dollars to be able to make that work, so that's where this is going."
Dodd also thanked the people the society works with on a daily basis and the people who came out to support the walk, including New Westminster mayor Jonathan Cote, several city councillors and MLA Judy Darcy.
Seniors Services Society helps homeless seniors across the Lower Mainland. For more information, go to www.seniorsservicessociety.ca.
