Coldest Night of the Year walk raises money for Winnipeg homeless youth programs

Almost 200 Manitobans braved chilly temperatures on Saturday to walk in support of a Winnipeg agency that helps homeless young people.

The Coldest Night of the Year, which took place across Canada, involved participants walking two, five or 10 kilometres and raising money for a charity that helps "the hungry, homeless and hurting," according to the event's website.

This year's event in Winnipeg raised money for Resource Assistance for Youth (RAY), a non-profit agency that works with youth and young adults who are on the streets.

The walk had at least 177 participants who raised more than $51,000 to benefit RAY's basic needs programs, said Kelly Holmes, the agency's executive director.

"I think we always should be thinking about the homeless, especially in this cold-weather climate that we're in," Holmes said.

"Agencies like RAY help them with the support that they need, so this is all a way that the community can come together and support a really good cause and a good agency."

The temperature at the Winnipeg airport was about –10 C as of 6 p.m. CT Saturday, but with the wind chill it felt more like –19, according to CBC meteorologist John Sauder.