Student walkers battle coldest nights with warmest hearts
The Coldest Night of the Year raises money for local charities serving people experiencing hunger and homelessness
On Feb. 12, 2026, the temperature in Saskatoon was -43 C.
On that night, there were more than 1,000 people in the city unsheltered or living in encampments. and another 700 were in emergency shelters or transitional homes.
A few days later the temperature dropped to -54 C.
Two groups of students from St. Thomas More College are giving their time to help with the problem of homelessness on Saturday, Feb. 28. They will be raising money for The Mustard Seed Saskatoon emergency shelter.
Each year, teams from all across the country volunteer to walk either 2 or 5 kilometers in the Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser to raise money for local charities serving people experiencing hunger and homelessness.
Krisha Pangilinan, 23, is in her second year of international studies after moving here from the Philippines. She plans for a future as a lawyer, and has a passion for issues of justice and poverty.
As a participant in the STM Service and Justice project, she has been volunteering with the Mustard Seed Saskatoon shelter where she does administrative work, sorting clothing and working bingo nights with the residents.
“It’s interesting that in a first-world country, like Canada, we have these kinds of problems,” said Pangilinan. “It’s really important for us to widen our perspective and get out of our privileged bubbles to see that some people are in a dire situation.”
The most recent one-day count of people experiencing homelessness in Saskatoon found there are more individuals without stable housing in the city tallied than ever before.
A count taken in October 2025 identified 1,931 individuals experiencing homelessness in the city -- an increase of 432 individuals experiencing homelessness over the 2024 count.
Pangilinan hopes her team of walkers can raise a little bit of money to support the efforts of The Mustard Seed, but also raise awareness and spread a feeling of contributing to the care of our neighbours in crisis.
“Sometimes it makes me feel helpless to see the world how it is right now, but this kind of initiative grounds me and gives me hope that maybe we can actually really do something about it, personally, that can amount to a bigger change”
Pangilinan’s team is called Agony of De Feet, and the STM Just Youth club made up of Sam Medernach and Molly Penny will also be walking in the event.
Both groups have set a goal of raising $250. Donations can be made online through the Coldest Night of the Year website at: bit.ly/ColdestDeFeet and bit.ly/ColdestJustYouth.
Both STM teams are raising money for The Mustard Seed Saskatoon, which operates a temporary emergency shelter, as well as a permanent supportive housing building that offers residents stable, safe, affordable housing with services and supports.
Since 2011 the Coldest Night of the Year has raised more than $75 million in 190 communities. This year’s event takes place Saturday and walkers will gather at 4 pm at Forest Grove Community Church.
To donate:
For those who are interested, other local groups taking part in the event are raising money for the Saskatoon YMCA Women’s Shelter (cnoy.org/location/saskatoondowntown)