Shirley Henderson and her husband were driving through Prince Albert a few days ago when they noticed a man rooting through garbage cans looking for food.

The couple pulled over and offered to buy the man a meal so he wouldn’t have to go through garbage, an offer he gladly accepted.

“When you see somebody digging into a garbage can, you know they need food,” she said.

Henderson, the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) Women’s Commission chair, said it’s just one of many signs showing how hard the COVID-19 outbreak has hit homeless residents. On Saturday, the women’s commission was out doing something about it, giving away free coats and participating in the YWCA Coldest Night of the Year Walk as lead sponsor.

“I think it’s getting worse,” Henderson said of homelessness in Prince Albert. “It’s really unfortunate. I think we have to try and work together to resolve the issues that people have and I’m sure we could eventually get to where we shouldn’t have to see people walking our streets.”

Henderson was just one of many Prince Albert and area residents who came out to support the annual YWCA fundraising event. In total, 121 walkers from 19 teams participated in either the 2 km or 5 km walk. Together, they raised $36,250—well above their $30,000 fundraising goal.

“I’m really impressed with how many people showed up,” Prince Albert YWCA executive director Donna Brooks said just before the start. “Last year we had to do this virtually and while we raised a lot of money last year, it’s still not the same.”

“This is amazing,” Prince Albert YWCA fund development and volunteer coordinator David Hambleton added. “We are just blown away by not only the community support, but by the support of our sponsors.”

The Coldest Night of the Year Walk received a big boost from local philanthropist Malcolm Jenkins, who promised to match up to $20,000 worth of donations.

Jenkins said he often travels internationally, and frequently meets people who are shocked Canada has homeless residents since the country is one of the wealthiest in the world. He said it’s imperative that Prince Albert residents chip in and help out those in need, and Coldest Night of the Year was a great way to do it.

“This is a very, very important cause,” he said during the kick-off.

Brooks said the Coldest Night of the Year pledges are a huge boost because they give the Prince Albert YWCA added flexibility. Much of their funding comes from the government, but can only be used in very specific areas. Brooks said that means some of the organization’s hidden needs sometimes go unmet.

“The money from Coldest Night of the Year is no strings attached,” she said. “The money goes directly to the people in the program where it’s most needed.”

Hambleton said the need for YWCA services has shot up over the past two years. Since the first COVID-19 public health orders were introduced, their programs have become so full they’ve had to turn people away.

“It hasn’t slowed down,” he said. “Unfortunately, the negative effects of the pandemic have hit the most vulnerable the hardest and they continue to suffer.

“Fundraisers like this with community support are ways that we can help improve the lives of the most vulnerable and improve the community as a whole for everybody.”