Thousands of smiles were created during the week-long Smile Cookie campaign at local Tim Hortons restaurants.
A record $24,352.94 was raised through the sale of tens of thousands of cookies decorated during the recent campaign.
“The support that we get from the community is tremendous,” said Nancy Etcheverry, owner of all three Cochrane locations.
“We had exponentially more volunteers this year. Tonnes of Activettes came out to decorate the cookies, and we even have guests in the restaurant right now who helped,” she said during the ceremonial cheque presentation on July 21 at the West Side Dr. location.
Etcheverry says each Cochrane location prepared a minimum of 1,500 cookies a day, baked fresh throughout the day.
She says they’re already aiming to top that number next year.
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That’s good news for the Cochrane Food Bank. The funds raised are turned over to the Activettes women’s service club, which then passes them along to the food bank, now a separate entity.
“We’re just so thankful to Tim Hortons for their generosity,” said Activettes president Sue Lunin.
She says their members spent countless hours decorating each chocolate chunk cookie with pink and blue icing to create a smile—but it’s worth it to support the food bank they helped establish.
“There’s an ongoing need,” she said. “It’s not only at Christmas or certain times of the year—they require major support throughout the year.”
The annual campaign is part of a nationwide effort. One hundred per cent of the proceeds are donated to local charities and community causes. Last year’s campaign raised nearly $18.8 million across Canada. Since its inception in 1989, it has raised over $129 million.
Last year's local campaign raised over $21,000. In 2023, they surpassed their gpoal of raising $18,000.