As food insecurity continues to impact communities across the country, the Newmarket Food Pantry will be the local recipient of Tim Hortons first national Holiday Smile Cookie campaign.
From Nov. 13 to 19, 100 per cent of proceeds from smile cookies will be donated to local charities and community groups.
With the Newmarket Food Pantry being selected as the local recipient, proceeds from smile cookies sold at Newmarket and East Gwillimbury Tim Hortons locations will be going to the food bank and Tim Hortons Foundation Camps.
Adrian Bain, executive director of the Newmarket Food Pantry, said he was extremely grateful his organization was selected for the campaign.
“The timing for this campaign couldn’t be better as we are expecting record levels of visits to our food bank,” he said. “Coming into the holiday season this campaign will unquestionably have an immediate and lasting impact in our community.”
The funds will help support the food pantry in providing healthy and nutritious options this holiday season, as well as making sure families have enough food to sit down at the dinner table and eat together, Bain said.
In 2023, the Newmarket Food Pantry has fed 16,500 mouths, served 520,000 meals, and supported 5,683 households with 41 per cent of their clients being under the age of 18.
To put in perspective how much the need has increased at the food pantry in recent years, pantry’s Turkey Drive began in 2014 with 20 turkey donations to support families in having a holiday dinner. Last year, that number grew to 400, Bain said.
Bain added that this is a perfect opportunity for both Newmarket and East Gwillimbury to show the rest of Canada why this is one of the most generous and caring communities.
“Let’s set a record for cookies sold,” he said.
The new addition of the Holiday Smile Cookie campaign adds to the classic Tim Hortons Smile Cookie program and in May of this year,Tim’s across Canada raised over $19 million, a new record, that went to over 600 local charities and community groups.
The holiday campaign will be supporting an additional 400 new organizations along with Tim Hortons Foundation Camps, which provide thousands of underserved youth the opportunity for leadership development through camp.
Since 1974, Tim Hortons Foundation Camps have supported 315,000 youth at its seven camps across Canada.
