Smiles weren’t just adorning the sugar cookies being sold at the Tim Hortons Monday. Customers coming into the Timmies at 130 Hwy. 20 were snatching up the sweet treats as fast as volunteers from Pelham Cares could make them, and that brought a smile to the face of Lori Grande, a member of the agency’s board of directors and volunteer coordinator for the cookie campaign.
“Over the campaign, there will probably be about 30 to 35 volunteers coming in,” Grande said as she and fellow volunteer Linda Gagne were busy decorating tray after tray of cookies.
This is the second year that Tim Hortons has staged a holiday smile campaign. Between now and Nov. 24, customers can purchase a white chocolate chip sugar cookie with sprinkles and an icing smiley face for $1.50. The proceeds from the sale of the cookies will be split between Pelham Cares and Tim Hortons Foundation Camps. Last year’s debut campaign raised $9.8 million across Canada. Locally, more than $5,000 was raised for Pelham Cares, Grande said.
“Financially, it's a big boost for us. It allows us to use the funds to purchase food and support our various programs,” she said. “It's also great for our visibility in the community. It gets the Pelham Cares name and the cause out (into the community).”
Stephanie McWilliams, who along with her husband, Bill, own all three Tim Hortons locations in Pelham, including the one where Grande and Gagne were volunteering, said the holiday cookie campaign proved popular when it was first introduced last year.
“It actually did so well that most of the owners ran out of the sugar cookie,” McWilliams said.
Just in case, more supply was ordered for this year but if that runs out before Sunday, stores will fill any gap by using chocolate chunk cookies like those used in the spring.
“But the holiday cookie is so festive that we would want to have as many sugar cookies as we can throughout the whole week,” McWilliams said.
More information about the campaign can be found at timhortons.ca. More information about Pelham Cares can be found at pelhamcares.org.
