WINNIPEG — Rudy and his team of do-good volunteers won’t be making the rounds for Operation Red Nose Winnipeg this holiday season.
Organizers of the annual safe ride program say maintaining social distancing and ensuring safety amid COVID-19 would be very difficult.
Coordinator Sharra Hinton says it’s with a heavy heart that they cancel the 2020 season in the city.
Operation Red Nose Winnipeg has been running for 25 years. The service provides holiday revellers with a safe ride home in their own vehicle in exchange for a donation, which helps out local organizations.
During the 2019 holiday season, ORN had 2,370 volunteers give 4,443 rides in 11 communities across Manitoba, raising more than $95,000 for a variety of youth organizations in the province. It typically operates Friday and Saturday nights from late November until New Year’s Eve.
Decisions are still pending for other Manitoba communities where Operation Red Nose operates, aside from Brandon, who has also confirmed they won’t operate this season.
