LITTLE CURRENT—Get ready to pony up an extra 50 cents for a Smile Cookie as the price has risen to $1.50, but considering the good work the annual Tim Hortons fundraising campaign does that is a nominal price to pay. Funds raised through the work of volunteers and staff at Tim Horton’s Little Current site will go to help support Local Food Manitoulin’s (LFM) Good Food Box program.
“Last year LFM delivered over 34,900 Good Food Boxes to people across Manitoulin, and that without paying to play,” said LFM chair Richard Lathwell, going on to explain that, “It was all through volunteer work that we have managed to keep the Good Food Box program running for the past 10 years.”
Tim Hortons has been raising funds for local charities for over 25 years. Last year, Tim Hortons restaurants across Canada raised a record breaking $15 million for over 600 local charities and community groups, an incredible accomplishment in anyone’s books, and one that helped contribute to the Smile Cookie legacy of over $90 million raised since the program’s inception.
Students of all things Timmies might have noticed that the Smile Cookie campaign has moved up from its traditional fall launch this year, a move Mr. Lathwell explains actually came from the franchisees themselves. “In the fall, all their student workers are heading back to school,” he said. “In the spring, they are all just getting started at work.” Mr. Lathwell noted that the staff at Tim Hortons play a huge role in the success of the Smile Cookie campaign.
The first set of volunteers helping to create Smile Cookies in Little Current this past Monday included Island realtor Steve Rolston, his partner Meredith and Mr. Lathwell.