Celebrating Brantford’s most successful Smile Cookie campaign to date, Lansdowne Children’s Centre

Lansdowne Children’s Centre and Brant Food For Thought each received $79,415.54, which in turn will support over 16,000 babies, kids and teens in the community.

Pictured above (L to R) Back row: Tim Hortons owners, Frank and Gina Baviera, Andrew Diab, Ken Molloy and Orville Bernard; Judy Maidment, Community Development Coordinator, Brant Food For Thought, Jennifer McLaren Gibbons, 1st Vice-President, Brant Food For Thought Board; (Front row): John Bradford, Lansdowne Children’s Centre, Past Board President, Gisèle Budgell, Program Director, Brant Food For Thought and Nancy Waldschmidt, Community Development Coordinator, Brant Food For Thought.

BRANTFORD, ON – Lansdowne Children’s Centre and Brant Food For Thought are celebrating alongside Brant and Brantford Tim Hortons locations as the area marks its most successful Smile Cookie campaign to date.

Through the sale of Smile Cookies and related merchandise at the 19 participating locations, over $158,000 was raised during the campaign, which ran from April 28 to May 4. Each organization received a total of $79.415.54.

This surpasses the almost $68,000 each organization received in 2024, and the previous record of just over $76,000 in 2023.

“This was a great opportunity for our staff, board members and former clients to volunteer decorating cookies, which we also enjoyed consuming,” said Lansdowne’s executive director, Rita-Marie Hadley.

“Most importantly the funds we are grateful to share with Brant Food for Thought will make a difference supporting families, so their children reach their goals.”

John Bradford, past president of Lansdowne’s board of directors, was on hand for the cheque presentation from Tim Hortons on May 21.

Not only did he thank the Brant and Brantford-area Tim Hortons locations for choosing Lansdowne as one of the recipients for the fundraiser, but he added, “We’re grateful to the community for their generous support.”

Ultimately, though, it’s not about the organizations, Bradford said, but “It’s for the kids.”

This fundraising campaign’s success will impact the lives of more than 16,000 Brant and Brantford area residents. 

"It's for the kids." - John Bradford

Lansdowne works with over 3,900 babies, children and teens, as well as their families. Smile Cookie funds will go to programs like Every Kid Counts and Family Engagement Services, critical programs that support families and children beyond clinical services and provide opportunities for children and youth to explore and develop their interests, abilities and social skills. Donations also contribute to programs that support a family's access to mobility and communication technology, and other specialty resources for improving a child's ability to navigate and grow.

Lansdowne Children's Centre Kids' Country Inn (KCI) Supervisor Becky Haw, left, former client and now dedicated volunteer Kaitlynn Sales, and KCI Nurse Marie Duvall were among the many who decorated cookies for the Smile Cookie campaign.

The demand for Lansdowne services continues to climb. Expansion efforts to meet high demands include larger program sizes and larger facility spaces, two long-term Lansdowne goals that will be supported by a combination of grant monies and fundraising.

Meanwhile, Brant Food For Thought contributes to a child’s ability to learn by supporting and facilitating universal student nutrition programs to over 12,000 children and youth weekly in Brantford and the County of Brant with equitable access to nutritious food. School-based nutrition programs level the playing field for all students, regardless of their socioeconomic background, to be food secure during the school day, well-nourished and ready to maximize their learning success.

Brant Food For Thought Program Director Gisèle Budgell said that this is the organization’s seventh year participating in a Smile Cookie campaign and the results have been game changing. Although Brant Food For Thought supports 12,000 kids a week, there are over 25,000 students currently enrolled in local schools, and the demand for programs and services continues to increase.

 “Programs are seeking to expand as their funding allows. Smile Cookie funds will help purchase nutritious foods for programs, like whole fruits and vegetables, whole grain products, high-quality protein items like white milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs and hummus.  Funds also support the local coordination and delivery of nutrition programs,” said Budgell.

"Know that your contributions are making a tremendous difference for kids in your community, now and for the future." - Gisèle Budgell

“We ensure that our programs comply with provincial quality standards and safe food handling requirements, so they run efficiently and stay within their food budgets. We’ve been able to purchase critical equipment with these funds so that programs have adequate refrigeration and proper food storage for large volumes of perishable food. We are so grateful to the Brantford Tim Hortons owners, their managers, staff teams and all the patrons in this community who supported Smile Cookie Week.

"Know that your contributions are making a tremendous difference for kids in your community, now and for the future."

Learn more about Lansdowne Children's Centre, click here

Learn more about Brant Food for Thought, click here