Participants of The Mustard Seed's Coldest Night of Year managed to raise $14,100 thus far in donations. Their goal is to reach $22,000. People can participate in the fundraiser and walk until mid-March (Tiffany Goodwein/CHATNewsToday)

By Tiffany Goodwein

Thousands raised at The Mustard Seed’s Coldest Night of the Year

Feb 21, 2021 | 11:37 AM

MEDICINE HAT. AB- A fundraising event that had to go virtual this year due to COVID-19, has managed to raise thousands of dollars to support the city’s vulnerable.

Eleven teams signed up to be a part of The Mustard Seed’s Coldest Night of The Year. The teams reached 65 per cent of The Mustard Seed’s goal of $ 22,000. To date, they have raised $14,100 thus far.

Participants have until the middle of March to complete their walk. The funds raised go towards supporting The Mustard Seed’s initiatives aimed at helping those in greatest need.

“Here in Medicine Hat at The Mustard Seed, all the money goes towards our feeding program, and we feed on average 85 to 95 people per day a breakfast meal towards 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. over at the Champion Centre location,” said Chaplain Murray Kumm of The Mustard Seed.

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With unprecedented job losses due to COVID-19, Kumm said the need in the city is greater than ever.

“Normally we see a lot of homeless and disadvantaged people, but we actually have a lot of young families, single-parent families who are reaching out to us for help, and that’s everything from food to some clothing,” Kumm said.

Since they started tracking visitors last March, 900 people have used their services, roughly 180 of which identify as homeless.

With so many people in need, the Mustard Seed is diligently working to get its location on Allowance Avenue open. The organization aims to create a community center-type space where people can connect to a variety of support services.

Currently meals are being served outside.

The commercial kitchen is nearly 95 percent complete, and they hope to be in their new space in the next few weeks.