Square One Community Inc. will be holding their second annual Walk for Warmth in downtown Moose Jaw on Thursday, March 14th at 7 p.m. 

The route will start at Zion United Church and the gathered group will follow a path down Main Street and around Crescent Park, finishing at St. Andrew’s Social Hall.  

Della Ferguson, chairperson with Square One Community, said there is a reason for the walk to start at Zion United Church. “We chose that because they’re involved in the work of supporting those who are housing and food insecure. They offer Monday lunches – which is just such a great support, such a warm space.” 

There will be a short program after everyone reaches St. Andrew’s Social Hall. “It’ll just be that opportunity for us to be a team of community members, working for the good of those who are struggling right now,” said Ferguson.  

Funds raised through participant pledges and sponsorships will go to support individuals in Moose Jaw struggling with housing insecurity.  

The group is looking to create a Supportive Housing Hub in their space at William Milne Place, at 138 Fairford St W, with part of that being to have a place for people to come for help. “We need to take our space, and to get some renovations done to prepare the space for being a place where staff can support folks, and a Welcome Centre that folks can come in – they can have a coffee, and warm up [or] cool down.” 

To learn more about Square One’s initiatives, you can find their FAQ here.  

Last year, Square One Community raised around $37,000 from the walk and saw over 200 participants. “It would be our great goal to aim for $50,000 this year. I believe that we can do that – that would make a real difference in what we can offer, and how soon we can get things going,” said Ferguson. 

Ferguson added that they’re already seeing a good response for this year’s walk. “We already had our first registration about 15 minutes after the site went live – that was pretty special, to see people jump right on.” 

Individuals and teams can work together to raise pledges, and there are also several sponsorship opportunities for businesses. 

Sponsorship levels include: 

Step Up ($100-$499) - you will be publicly recognized at the event 

Stride ($500-1999) - including public recognition and social media feature 

Leap ($2000+) - including public recognition, social media feature, and chance to place signage at the event 

People interested in participating can register online here. If people are interested in learning more about being a volunteer or sponsoring the event, email them at communitysquareone@gmail.com