Brandon Area Community Foundation (BACF) and Westman's Dreams for Kids are the recipients of this week's SMILE cookie sales at each of the Brandon Tim Hortons locations!

From April 29 to May 5, Tim Hortons restaurant owners will be donating the $1.50 from every Smile Cookie purchased to support charities in their community across North America - that's 100% of the proceeds from each Smile Cookie sold.

BACF Executive Director, Laura Kempthorne says they're having a fabulous week partnering with Tim Hortons to raise funds for the Foundation, money which will be donated back into the Westman community through their non-designated fund pool.  She adds the partnership with Westman's Dreams for Kids means that every dollar raised in Brandon stays in Westman.

In addition to cookie sales, the two non-profits benefit from local sponsorships that are generously matching funds received throughout the week.  Each day is a different sponsor or set of sponsors.

  • Monday, April 29 - Memories Chapel, Guild Insurance Group and Treo Law LLP
  • Tuesday, April 30th - 4 local credit unions partnered together (Westoba, Sunrise, Fusion and Compass)
  • Wednesday, May 1st - Brandon Heating and Plumbing and Grand Valley Mechanical
  • Thursday, May 2nd - Brightside Dental
  • Friday, May 3rd - J&G Group
  • Saturday, May 4th - Murray Auto Group, Brandon
  • Sunday, May 5th - a surprise!?

In 2023 the Smile Cookie campaign raised close to $71,000 from the Brandon stores alone. 

"So, last year after all was said and done about $35,000 went to the YMCA's child-care capital building project," shares Kempthorne. "Our $35,000 went into our Fall season granting pool of undesignated funds. So, we granted that money out last fall through our grant application process. We granted that money right back out into Westman projects!"

Rhonda and Craig Pardy established the Westman Tim Horton's in 1996.  They are a family owned and Westman based multi-unit operator of Tim Hortons, with their Manitoba locations in Brandon, Virden, Neepawa and Dauphin, as well as in Moosomin in Saskatchewan.

Last year's total Smile Cookie campaign raised $19.7 million.  Since its inception in 1996, the Smile Cookie campaign has raised over $111 million in total across Canada and the U.S. for charitable contributions.

Please listen to more with Laura Kempthorne below!