Tim Hortons in Barrie and Stroud raised over $174,000 for Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) and Hospice Simcoe through this year’s Smile Cookie campaign.
The donations come as the company said a record-breaking $15 million has been raised for more than 600 local charities and community groups through the sales of Smile Cookies across Canada.
“We are so grateful to Barrie and Stroud Tim Hortons restaurant owners, as well as our community, for supporting patient care and RVH and raising much-needed funds for our Birthing Unit through the Tim Hortons Smile Cookie Campaign,” says Pamela Ross, CEO of the RVH Foundation.
“These funds will play a vital role in RVH’s ability to continue giving its tiniest patients the best possible start, and to continue meeting the growing healthcare needs of our region.”
One hundred per cent of the proceeds from the cookies sales go to local charities and community groups in local neighbourhoods.
“Our Smile Cookie campaign has grown from its humble roots as a local fundraiser in Hamilton in 1996 into something incredibly special that touches so many lives,” says Axel Schwan, president of Tim Hortons.
The first-ever Smile Cookie campaign in 1996 raised funds to support Hamilton Children’s Hospital.
Since starting, the company said the annual charitable campaign had raised more than $92 million for charities and organizations selected annually by Tim Hortons restaurant owners.
Recipients include local hospitals, community care organizations, food banks and schools.
“We are very grateful to Tim Hortons and our community of Tim Hortons owners and staff,” says Kelly Hubbard, executive director of Hospice Simcoe.
“The funds raised in the Smile Cookie Campaign play a critical role in allowing us to provide bereavement support to anyone who has experienced a loss, and end-of-life care to those dying at Hospice.”