Editor's Note: This story was previously posted on StratfordToday.ca.
It was a very successful Tim Horton’s Holiday Smile Cookie campaign with $24,998.90 raised locally.
“The campaign went fantastic,” said Megan Adair, co-owner of the Huron Street Tim Hortons location. “We had a ton of volunteers come out which makes the campaign run that much smoother.”
Between the three local Tim Hortons locations, roughly 70 volunteer slots were filled by members of the community. The community stepped up in a big way for the holiday cookie campaign, as a company in Stratford even put in a large order of 1000 cookies.
“The best part of a campaign like this is having the team on board with the volunteers and everyone working towards the same goal,” said Lisa MacDonald, who owns the Ontario and Erie Street locations. “We helped sprinkle some hope for the United Way, which then helps make our community a better place for everyone.”
Half of the money will be going towards Tim Hortons Foundation Camps, which help local youth.
“Tim Horton’s camps are amazing,” said Adair. “The program helps bring children to camp who maybe wouldn’t have had the opportunity to attend.”
The other half of the money is coming to the United Way of Perth-Huron and will help support mental health programming in Stratford.
“Tim Hortons is a cornerstone in Canadian communities, and for local owners to step up and take on these kinds of projects, and recognize what they can do for the community is just brilliant,” said United Way Campaign Co-Chair John Wolfe.
The funds donated will help support United Partners including 211, Family Services Perth Huron, the Emily Murphy Centre, Shelterlink Youth Services and the John Howard Society.
“We are starting to see the fallout from COVID,” said Wolfe. “The state of mental health in our youth has been a challenge. So its great that Tim Hortons could support the United Way with helping to fund some of these programs.”
Last year, over 8,600 vulnerable people received mental health support through local United Way partners.
