As the battle against homelessness continues in Quinte, you have a great chance this weekend to support people helping on the front lines every single day.
The Coldest Night of the Year is a winter fundraising walk in support of Grace Inn Shelter, Belleville’s only emergency shelter for adults.
It’s being held on Saturday, February 28th starting at Maranatha Church on College Street.
Yesterday, they also announced that the lead sponsor for this year’s event was Elexicon, which donated $5,000. Their overall goal is $65,000.
I well remember my former colleague Nicole Kleinsteuber both attending and covering this event over the years and her inspiring reports of how people were coming together to literally take a stand, and a walk, against homelessness.
While the forecast for this weekend is actually a bit warmer than usual, it will be only a few days removed from our latest snowstorm and a week or so after the most recent of a series of brutally cold nights. The need for Grace Inn and similar services is vast and steadily increasing.
On a positive note, additional services to help the unhoused are coming online all the time through community agencies and initiatives like the new Bridge Homelessness Hub, but I have always had a warm place in my heart for Grace Inn, which broke new ground in supporting the homeless when it opened in 2019 while often facing negative reactions and a lack of support.
Over the past seven years, and again after opening Shiloh House in 2022, they have literally saved countless lives and made a difference in more ways than I can count by giving people in need respite, comfort, and the dignity that their day to day lives rarely provide.
I’m Paul Martin and that’s what I see looking Beyond the Headlines.
