The Salvation Army is encouraging Langley and Aldergrove residents to bundle up and raise cold, hard cash for Langley’s homeless.
The third annual Coldest Night of the Year Winter Walk takes place on the evening of Feb. 20, starting from the Gateway of Hope homeless shelter.
Thousands of participants will be taking part in the walk in around 100 cities across Canada.
By walking together in the chill of the night, participants will better understand the experience of being on the streets during a cold Canadian winter.
Langley walkers will raise funds to aid the work of the Gateway of Hope Emergency Shelter and meal centre.
Gateway of Hope is busier than ever with its year-round 32 emergency beds and many extreme weather shelter nights maxed out, with an additional 30 people coming in from the cold.
The Langley Winter Walk begins and ends at Gateway of Hope, located at 5787 Langley Bypass, where walkers will register, turn in the results of their fundraising efforts, and return at the end of the evening for a warm celebration meal.
Donning iconic blue toques, participants will walk a 2 km, 5 km or 10 km route, and will warm up with hot drinks at rest stops along the way.
This is Gateway of Hope’s third year taking part in the Coldest Night of the Year, and they’re aiming to raise $30,000 for their work with the homeless in Langley and Aldergrove.
An anticipated 300 walkers and 25 teams, including staff, volunteers and friends of Gateway are expected to brave the cold winter’s night.
Interested community members can visit www.coldestnightoftheyear.org/langley to sign up as a walker or create a team.