Coldest Night of the Year raises $114K for St. Vincent Place

Temperatures were chilly, but the energy was warm Saturday night as over 250 walkers came together downtown for the Sault’s 11th annual Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY).

Each year, the family-friendly walk raises money for St. Vincent Place, a charitable organization that serves community members through its food bank, soup kitchen, thrift store, Lunches for Learning, and men’s transitional residence.

Since December, 41 teams have been raising money for the non-profit, eyeing a goal of $100,000.

By the time participants had completed their two or five-km walk, the total had eclipsed $114,000.

Event co-chair Jennifer Sarlo was thrilled with the result.

“It was so good to be back to normal and have such a great result,” she says. “People have supported this event so well.”

Last year, CNOY was a completely outdoor event, as walkers had to check in outside in the St. Vincent parking lot.

In 2021, the walk was completely virtual.

Despite the pandemic restrictions, CNOY still managed to raise over $100,000 in each of those years.

Sarlo says she loves coming back every February to see the positive changes being made in the community.

“I love the event,” she says. “It was so great to be back in person. You get the synergy of everyone gathering in the auditorium, and they get to see where St. Vincent Place is located and where all the work happens.”

“St. Vincent does great work,” she adds. “They’re not an official food bank in Sault Ste. Marie, so they’re completely supported by donations.”

The Children’s Aid Society also got involved by setting up a rest stop along Saturday’s route, providing hot chocolate and refreshments.

After the trek was completed, volunteers served up some warm chilli for all the walkers at St. Vincent Place.

Long-time CNOY participant Joyce Nanni has been team captain of the Cool Dudes since the event’s very first year.

A familiar face to many walkers and volunteers involved in the event, Nanni and her team ended up raising the most money in the Sault this year.

“It feels good to reach out and help those in need and to know you’re making a difference,” she says. “When people help with my fundraising by making a donation, they get to be a part of that too.”

“I really enjoy having team members so I can encourage them to raise funds and awareness, and my team motivates me as well.

While the pandemic had thrown some curveballs at the fundraiser in recent years, Nanni’s motivation to help St. Vincent Place never wavered.

“I enjoy being in the event year after year because I have a lot of the same people who want to donate again, and they appreciate that all the money raised stays here in our community,” she says.

Working alongside Nanni since the event’s inception, Sarlo is incredibly appreciative of the team captain’s passion and dedication to CNOY.

“Joyce is extraordinary,” she says. “She’s the ultimate team captain. She gets people involved, she supports people, and she’s super enthusiastic. I’m so thankful for her and the work she does.”

This year’s top fundraiser Gina Cicchelli has been involved with CNOY in the Sault for 10 years and counting.

Her husband, Nat Cicchelli, is the executive director of St. Vincent Place, and together, they’ve gotten to witness the walk grow each year.

“This event is really close to us,” she says. “We have a very generous community, and I have a lot of wonderful contacts who are very generous with their donations.”

“In the last few years with COVID, the need is great, so the funds are certainly welcomed for sure,” she adds. “It felt good to be all together again. I strive to do better and better every year.”

Sara McCleary, the St. Vincent Place marketing manager and CNOY co-chair, says they served 16,772 meals in the soup kitchen in 2022, which was up from around 12,000 the year before.

The food bank also helped 2,775 families in 2022 – a 40 per cent increase from the year prior.

Running since September 2020, St. Vincent’s Lunches for Learning program has helped 300 local kids every week with school lunch packages.

From September to December 2022, Lunches for Learning provided enough food for 19,610 lunches just in those four months.

“The funds raised from this event are really important to us,” McCleary says. “It means a lot to have the community come together and raise so much for the organization.”

The top individual fundraisers from this year’s CNOY were Gina Cicchelli ($6,575), Joyce Nanni ($5,451), and Gaetan Pelletier ($4,570).

Top team fundraisers were Cool Dudes ($14,056), Pelletier Family ($8,230), and SAH Emergency Department ($6,805).

Donations can be made until Mar. 31 by visiting here.

The Sault’s CNOY has raised over $800,000 for St. Vincent place since the event began in 2013.