BRANTFORD, June 15, 2023– Tim Hortons restaurant owners and millions of generous Tim Hortons guests helped to break a new Smile Cookie record by raising $19.7 million for local charities and community groups across the country.
This year in Brantford, local Tim Hortons restaurant owners, their staff, teams and guests helped raise $152,974.30 to support Brant Food For Thought and Lansdowne Children’s Centre Foundation. “
"This is our 5th Smile Cookie campaign with the Brantford Tim Hortons owners and certainly the best one yet,”
says Gisèle Budgell, Brant Food For Thought Program Director.
The Brantford Smile Cookie campaign has grown substantially over the years, supporting a multitude of worthy charities, with this year showing a 32% increase over last year.
“This additional support couldn’t have come at a better time,” continues Budgell. “Since March of last year, Brant Food For Thought has experienced a 35% increase in demand for local student nutrition programs, serving close to 11,000 students on a weekly basis. This funding is critical to subsidizing the rising cost of healthy food, providing refrigeration and equipment for safe food storage,and most importantly, for ensuring that all children and youth have access to nutritious meals and snacks during the school day to help maximize their learning success.”
The Lansdowne Children’s Centre Foundation raises funds to help support programs and services access by over 3,000 children, youth, and their families annually who are dealing with communication, developmental and physical special needs.
“We would not be able to continue the important work of the Centre without this incredible support,”
says Candace Kingyens, Senior Development Officer for the Foundation.
The Lansdowne Children's Centre is currently pursuing the opportunity to build a new home in Brantford, to help address urgent capacity concerns and waiting times, and hopes to provide the community and region with a new children’s treatment centre in the future. “It is our dream to be able to provide this new building to the children and youth with special needs in our community. The Smile Cookie campaign, and everyone involved, have helped us get one step closer to achieving this.”
"We're so proud and humbled that Tims guests have once again shown incredible support for our Smile Cookie campaignand important charities and community groups where they live, by helping us raise a record-breaking $19.7 million," says Axel Schwan, President of Tim Hortons.
"To achieve such an amazing result means baking and hand-decorating millions upon millions of Smile Cookies over the course of just a week. My heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone who made this happen, including all of our passionate restaurant owners, team membersand volunteers who helped us dot eyes and create smiles.”
Smile Cookie Campaign Facts
The first-ever Smile Cookie campaign in 1996 raised funds to support Hamilton Children's Hospital. Since then, the annual charitable campaign has raised a total of more than $111 million for charities and organizations that are selected every year by Tim Hortons restaurant owners.
Nationally, Tim Hortons restaurant owners support over 600 local charitiesand community groups through the Smile Cookie campaign
Join the Smile Cookie Conversation
· Use the hashtag #SmileCookie
· Tag or follow us on Instagram @TimHortons, @brantfft, @lansdownechildrens
· Tag or follow us on Twitter @TimHortons, @BrantFFT, @lansdownefdn
· Like us on Facebook Tim Hortons, @Brant-Food-For-Thought, @LansdowneChildrens
· Subscribe to us on YouTube @TimHortons @LansdowneChildrens
Visit www.timhortons.ca/smile-cookie for a list of local charities benefiting from the Smile Cookie campaign
About Brant Food For Thought
Since 1998, Brant Food For Thought has been contributing to the learning success of children and youth by supporting and facilitating Universal Student Nutrition Programs in elementary and secondary schools in Brantford and the County of Brant. Currently, we support 55 programs (and growing), with close to 11,000 students weekly benefitting from an estimated 1.1 million healthy snacks and meals during the school year. Brant Food For Thought provides grants to schools for food and equipment to start-up or maintain healthy breakfast, lunch or snack programs. In addition, we provide nutrition education resources, skills training workshops, volunteer recruitment, engagement and recognition activities, public awareness, fundraising and networking opportunities.
Charitable Business Number 86102 1947 RR0001
For more information or interview requests, please contact:
Gisèle Budgell, Program Director, Brant Food For Thought
gisele@brantfoodforthought.ca 519-759-6164
About Lansdowne Children’s Centre Foundation
Lansdowne Children's Centre Foundation supports special needs programs and services at Lansdowne Children's Centres in Brantford, Simcoe, Caledonia and Dunnville.
Through your generous gifts we are able to help children and youth and their families with access to:
· Specialty equipment
· Support workers
· Community-based programs
· Centre-run programs
Recreation programs supported by Lansdowne Foundation include: Day Camps, After School Programs, Art Programs, Summer Camps and other activities that build life skills through recreation, socialization and play.
Charitable Business Number 118816883RR0001
For more information or interview requests, please contact:
Candace Kingyens, Senior Development Officer, Lansdowne Children’s Centre Foundation
Ckingyens@lansdownecc.com 519-753-3153
About TIM HORTONS®
In 1964, the first Tim Hortons® restaurant in Hamilton, Ontario opened its doors and Canadians have been ordering Tim Hortons iconic Original Blend coffee, Double-Double™ coffees, Donuts and Timbits® in the years since. Over the last 55 years, Tim Hortons has captured the hearts and taste buds of Canadians and has become synonymous with serving Canada's favourite coffee. Tim Hortons is Canada's largest restaurant chain operating in the quick service industry with nearly 4,000 restaurants across the country. More than a coffee and bake shop, Tim Hortons is part of the Canadian fabric and guests can enjoy hot and cold specialty beverages – including lattes, cappuccinos and espressos, teas and our famous Iced Capps® – alongside delicious breakfast, sandwiches, wraps, soups and more. Tim Hortons has more than 5,400 restaurants in Canada, the United States and around the world. For more information on Tim Hortons visit TimHortons.ca.