By Stéphanie Talissé

As the early 2024 winter weather tumbled in, St-James and its network of community partners and supporters held our most important annual fundraiser, The Coldest Night of the Year. Last February was our 11th time participating in this incredible country-wide initiative and it was our most successful yet!  

With record-breaking numbers of teams, walkers, volunteers, and funds raised, the St-James community was truly touched by the support of our ever-expanding and generous community. 

We welcomed 211 walkers, and 25 teams; roaring and marching through the streets of Montreal to raise awareness for our cause. 

We raised close to 65 000$, which is contributing directly to offering essential services, and a safe and welcoming environment to our community of members who are dealing with isolation, homelessness, and mental health struggles.

For the second year running, the incredible Saint Andrew’s and Saint Paul’s church in downtown Montreal hosted our event. They gathered a group of volunteers from their youth group, who not only formed a team and were one of the top fundraisers but also helped us set up and prepare the entire day of the event. They also took care of preparing and serving the food and decorating the space! Boundless in their generosity, the church volunteers also helped us with registration for all the walkers. We are so grateful for their efforts in making our event a special and memorable evening.

The day was filled with so much face painting, delicious food, hot coffee, warm embraces, and acts of kindness. All together, we came through and celebrated our big achievement. 

To all our donors, walkers, volunteers, teams, and captains, THANK YOU! We could not have done it without every single one of you.

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