Dozens of people are expected to hit the streets of Maple Ridge on Feb. 25 as they take part in the annual Coldest Night of the Year fundraising walk.

This yearly event sets out to raise money for the Food for the Soul Project to help it serve people experiencing hunger and homelessness in the Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows communities.

More than 180 locations throughout the country are participating in this year’s walk, with each raising funds for a different local charity.

In Maple Ridge, the fundraising has been off to a bit of a slow start, with the campaign currently having a little more than $4,500, which is still more than $1,500 short of last year’s total, and puts the city at the number 174 spot on the fundraising leaderboard.

READ MORE: Coldest Night of The Year walk raises thousands for Maple Ridge charity

As of writing, the Starbucks D251 team sits atop the list of local fundraisers, having collected $905 so far.

45 walkers across nine different teams have already signed up for the Coldest Night of the Year, with the option to participate in either the 2 km or 5 km routes.

Both paths will start at 20399 Dewdney Trunk Rd. and continue along Dewdney Trunk Road until reaching the set distances.

Check-in for the event will open at 4 p.m., with the opening marks and start of the walk taking place at 5 p.m. After the walk, a light meal will be served at 6 p.m., with closing remarks being made at 7 p.m.

While people of all ages are invited to participate, animals are not allowed on the walk.

Although the weather for next Saturday’s event is far from the coldest Feb. 25 Maple Ridge has ever seen, the temperatures are expected to hover around a chilly 4 C for most of the day.

More information on the walk can be found by visiting https://cnoy.org/location/mapleridge.

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