This year’s long winter could make for a chilly dip when Coboconk-area residents take the plunge into a local lake on Saturday, May 3 to battle hunger in the community.
The Jump in the Lake Challenge — which sees sponsored participants jumping into recently thawed lakes across the region — has become an annual tradition, raising more than $175,000 for the community over five years. For the sixth annual event, the goal is to raise $20,000 for the Coboconk & Area Food Bank.
“What we’re finding is that after a long, dreary winter — which is certainly the case this year — people are looking forward to doing something to celebrate spring,” says event organizer Dean Michel. “The event is about fun and it’s about community while raising money for such a needed cause.”
Michel — a real estate sales representative with Kawartha Lakeside Realty of Century 21 Granite Realty Group Inc. — first had the idea for the cold plunge in April 2020 when the pandemic lockdowns were just beginning and the local food bank was facing increased demand. He took to social media to tell his network he would jump off his dock into Balsam Lake if he raised $500 and convinced his wife, fellow realtor Jennifer Bacon, to do the same if they raised $1,000.
“I started hearing from friends around the lake saying, ‘Hey, what a great idea, can we join in?'” says Michel, noting that in the first year they raised nearly $15,000.
Since then, Michel and Bacon have held the annual Jump in the Lake Challenge after the spring thaw under a specific theme, like “Star Wars” for the 2024 Jump which was held on May 4. This year’s theme is “Jersey Jump.”
“Everyone wears their favourite sports team jersey,” Michel says, joking that “Any sports jersey but the Montreal Canadiens is acceptable.”
VIDEO: 2025 Jump in the Lake Challenge
Posted by Dean Michel on Thursday, March 13, 2025
Participants of all ages will each do their own individual cold plunges and are encouraged to post it to social media and turn their plunge into a gathering or event. Michel has even helped other communities host their own Jump in the Lake Challenge to support their local charities.
“I love the idea of individuals and teams making it their own,” Michel says. “It’s a distraction for a good cause for people who want to feel good about something and want to do something kind and productive for the community.”
“A lot of people might say, ‘Oh, I’m not jumping in, you’re crazy to do that,’ but you can sponsor someone who is, so you’re still participating without getting wet. It’s an all-inclusive event.”
While the Jump in the Lake Challenge has supported various community initiatives over the years, this year’s fundraiser will once again support the Coboconk & Area Food Bank.
“I try not to, but I often take for granted the fact that if I’m hungry, I can go to the fridge and grab a sandwich, and not everyone has that,” Michel says. “We just want to do what we can to lessen the load.”
The Coboconk & Area Food Bank is entirely volunteer-driven, and its operation is dependent on donations to service the communities of Coboconk, Norland, Kirkfield, and surrounding areas. In 2024, the food bank served a total of 210 clients (79 being children), with a total of 29,358 meals served — numbers that only continue to climb.
“We’re finding in the last year that (food bank users) lives haven’t changed,” says food bank chair Amy Alfredsson. “They’re in the same jobs or same home but they just can’t afford their lives, and the food bank can provide them with some relief with respect to food. The general thing is people need this — they’ve reached their limit of spending.”
Alfredsson adds that getting through the winter is often the most difficult time of year for people who use the food bank and, subsequently, for the food bank itself.
“Our usership definitely goes up in the wintertime when they are out of their seasonal work,” she says, noting that some clients rely on the food bank. “We’ve had quite a few people in the last few years move into our area, especially from the pandemic and beyond, because of rising housing costs elsewhere.”
With the funds raised from last year’s Jump in the Lake Challenge, which surpassed its goal, the Coboconk & Area Food Bank was able to cover the cost of more than six months’ worth of meat.
“If we started running out of money, then meat would be one of the first things that would have to go because it’s so expensive,” Alfredsson explains. “That shows the impact that (the Jump) had last year.”
“It brings the food bank to the forefront of our community, and I think the impact of the Jump lasts all year long.”
While jumping into a cold lake might not seem the most desirable activity for an afternoon in May, Michel says it’s always been worth it.
“The water’s cold, but when I come out my heart’s warm because I know that we made some sort of a difference,” he says. “This has really been adopted by the community to become an event that people look forward to.”
For more information about the Jump in the Lake Challenge and to register, visit the Kawartha Lakeside Realty website at www.kawarthalakeside.com.
