Out of the Cold gears up for 39th winter

As temperatures drop and another winter slowly approaches, many Out of the Cold programs across Toronto will open their doors again, for the 39th year.

Beginning in 1987 as a small group of high school students offering hot meals and a warm place to rest to Toronto’s most vulnerable, Out of the Cold has since grown into its own interfaith network still filling critical gaps in the city’s overwhelmed shelter system. 

Craig Smeaton, president of the Out of the Cold Foundation, was one of those students from St. Michael's College School when he joined the offering's second season at Holy Rosary Parish. Those early days brought a certain sense of community, with founder Sr. Susan Moran’s guiding light, and four decades later, the need remains greater than ever. 

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“ I think even in the past five years things have certainly changed in the need and the asks we’re getting from our location partners. There is more of a health and security component, things like mental-health issues, some related to drugs and addiction, but the need is certainly growing,” he told The Catholic Register. 

“Out of the Cold started as a sort of Band-Aid solution, but what I'm always amazed at is people who came to the first Out of the Cold as a guest who are still on the street and still living in the same situations.”  

When the late Moran, an Our Lady’s Missionaries Sister and tireless advocate for the homeless, founded the first Out of the Cold program in Toronto with Basilian Father John Murphy and students from St. Michael’s, the novel initiative saw churches open their doors to feed and shelter those in need.

Today, parishes and churches across the Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, Anglican and United communities in Toronto and beyond continue to do what they can for the marginalized — some for a few weeks in the winter, some year-round; some with hot meals, some with shelter.  

One long-standing Catholic Out of the Cold hub is St. Basil’s at the University of St. Michael's College. Hilda O'Connor, the parish’s director of outreach and hospitality, has been involved with the program for the past three years — managing logistics and training volunteers for the parishioner-led Monday and Tuesday lunches.

She shared Smeaton’s feelings on how the reality of Toronto’s changing needs and demographics has made the program a true reflection of the wider cost-of-living and housing crises. 

“While we don't provide overnight beds, we do provide immediate, direct and unconditional care to everyone that comes through the door. We serve our unhoused neighbours, but have grown to serve seniors, low-wage workers and those affected by job losses,” she said. 

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O'Connor was quick to share just how impactful the work continues to be, even when the volunteer team faces an uphill battle. 

“Our team works very hard to provide these meals, and one thing that really strikes me is how many have this knack for remembering everybody's name. It’s really special to see how they make everyone feel welcome and appreciated when they come through our doors. It's a blessing to connect in that way,” she said. 

“Eating together, even for just one meal, in a warm and dignified space, provides a real sense of community where our guests connect not only with the volunteers but also with each other. That’s special to see.” 

A unique Thursday meal service started in 2023 by  University of St. Michael’s College students remains operational under new student leadership each year. St. Basil’s offering closes only for four weeks in August and for two weeks over Christmas and New Year's, but otherwise operates year-round.

The needs do persist year-round, O'Connor said, sharing that the parish’s St. Vincent de Paul chapter often visits upwards of 300 households to assist in providing food, clothing, compassion and a listening ear throughout the year as well. 

Despite the rising needs and changing faces of the less fortunate in Toronto and beyond, the same mission of service from Smeaton’s early days to St. Basil’s most recent seasons is proof of Out of the Cold’s lasting importance. 

This winter, Out of the Cold returns not as something profound, but instead as the same consistent, faith-led, volunteer-supported hospitality and dignity that the foundation has promised for nearly 40 years. 

For those behind the scenes like O’Connor, that promise is more than enough. 

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“ We certainly can't solve these problems in parish kitchens, but we can do what we can, and we remain exceedingly happy to do so,” she said. 

Locations and services for this year’s programming will be updated  at outofthecold.org. 

A version of this article appeared in the October 25, 2026 issue of The Catholic Register with the headline "Out of the Cold gears up for 39th winter".