The Coldest Night of the Year is a nationwide fundraising event hosted in over 205 towns and cities across Canada. Here in Salmon Arm and the Shuswap, for our 6th year, CNOY helps us to raise vital funds to support the Shuswap Food Action Society and our actions to nourish our community in mind, body and spirit — now and for the future! We’re so thankful for our community who has helped to create a tremendously successful fundraiser for Shuswap Food Action and a wonderful family-friendly, community-building walk-a-thon.
Learn more below about what your fundraising does to help support the many programs Shuswap Food Action Society has created and grown since we began hosting CNOY in 2021!
On Coldest Night of the Year, our community showed up – in the beautiful evening sun, into the dark evening, and in solidarity.
The official Coldest Night of the Year webpage is where you register to become a participant and do all the online fundraising. It’s also a great place to find more details about CNOY history, the local scoreboard of our fellow residents and sponsoring businesses, what this year’s toque looks like, fundraising tips and social media assets for those choosing to participate to assist in their own personal campaign!
Downtown SASCU
370 Lakeshore Dr NE
Salmon Arm, BC
Shuswap Agricultural Association’s Log Building
490 5th Ave SW
Salmon Arm, BC
Downtown Askew’s
111 Lakeshore Dr NE E
Salmon Arm, BC
Thanks to CNOY fundraising, we have grown dramatically and have been able to turn ideas into ACTION to address food insecurity, increase food & nutrition literacy and to grow our local food economy. From one single soup day at Jackson High School in 2020, simply assisting the Shuswap Community Teaching Garden to grow veggies, beginning the Downtown Salmon Arm Farmers Market to where we are now in 2025/26? The growth is tremendous and exciting!
Here’s some of the core of what we have done with funds raised:
School Meals: we have developed in-house school meal programs, creating healthy, affordable meals for students, with local ingredients at Shuswap Middle School, Jackson High School, Ranchero, South Broadview and South Canoe Elementary. Learn more…
Souper Meals: provides fresh-made, locally-sourced hot soup, local organic buns & seasonal fruit to 23 schools, 4 Strong Start programs and 3 community organizations —over 92,000 meals made in 2024/2025. Learn more…
Shuswap Family Boxes with support from SD83, we purchase locally grown and produced food for distribution to food-insecure families. Over $200,000 has been kept with our farmers & local food economy since its inception in 2021. Learn more…
Downtown Salmon Arm Farmers Market: a reliable source of year-round local food from an expanding group of dedicated farmers and food producers. We partner with the BCFMA Nutrition Coupon program to expand the impact to both farmers and those in need. Learn more…
Shuswap Community Teaching Garden grows produce collectively to GIVE to our community while teaching participants the art of growing their own food! 5500lb grown and given in 2025. Learn more…
John McLeod Community Garden Offering 25 garden beds for local residents to grow their own food, build relationships and increase household resiliency. Learn more…
Youth Garden Contest a collaboration with Buckerfield’s and SASCU, for 3 years we’ve engaged over 90 Shuswap youth to independently design, plant, and nurture their own gardens at home. Learn more…
Food Literacy Classes: we work together with schools and organizations to offer food literacy classes, helping youth and adults build confidence in the kitchen using fresh local ingredients. This builds confidence & encourages youth to try new foods while building their knowledge around cooking and healthy eating.
By joining with & supporting us, you become a part of the solutions that create healthier & more resilient communities.
We invite you to join us on Saturday, February 28th, 2026 for the Coldest Night of the Year fundraising walk to help us raise the vital funds to support those most vulnerable right here in our community.
