It may not be living up to its name with sunny conditions in the forecast, but the Coldest Night of the Year officially kicked off its fourth consecutive year in Saskatoon on Saturday evening.

More than 100 people and around 25 teams registered for the event at The Bridge on 20th Fellowship Centre. The Bridge has partnered up with Lighthouse Supported Living Inc. to raise awareness about the plight of the hungry and homeless in Saskatoon.

The event helps raise awareness for those who might not have a warm place to stay at night.

“Participants have the chance to experience a hint of the challenge faced by many that don’t have a permanent address and have to be out on cold nights like this,” said Addie Stewart, volunteer coordinator at The Bridge.

Organizers of the event hope to raise $50,000 for operating costs of The Bridge and The Lighthouse.

“As of this morning we were almost at 60 per cent so we’re really hoping to raise that target,” said Marilyn Jackson, fundraising coordinator with The Lighthouse.. “At The Lighthouse, the money raised today will be going towards our stabilization unit, there was some funding cut last year in that unit so we want to be able to keep the stabilization open 24 hours a day, for all 12 months of the year.”

Participants will walk from The Bridge to the Lighthouse with two of the routes running alongside the South Saskatchewan River. The annual event is comprised of two kilometre, five kilometre and 10 kilometre routes.

Last year’s walk raised more than $45,000.