The cookies were baked in the restaurants and community volunteers came in and decorated them, with more than 1000 cookies sold each day.
Article content
The Vancouver Sun Children’s Fund has received a donation of $60,300 from the recent Tim Hortons Smile Cookie campaign.
Article content
Seven restaurants — four in Surrey, three in Maple Ridge — sold tens of thousands of the $2 cookies, with the proceeds going to the fund’s Adopt-A-School program.
Article content
Article content
The money will be directed to L.A. Matheson secondary in Surrey, Thomas Haney secondary in Maple Ridge and to some elementary schools close to the high schools. It will be used to help impoverished students.
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
The Smile Cookie campaign is a national twice-yearly fundraising effort by the Tim Hortons chain that raises millions of dollars for local charities. It ran from April 27 to May 3.
Article content
Sunrise
Article content
The seven restaurants are co-owned by Barj Dhahan, a longtime donor and supporter of AAS, and Gurtek Shoker.
Article content
The amount raised exceeded what they had expected.
Article content
Before the campaign started, Dhahan had said they hoped to raise between $60,000 and $70,000 from the two Smile Cookie campaigns this year. The second will take place in November.
Article content
Gillian Shaw, vice chair of The Vancouver Sun Children’s Fund board that administers AAS, congratulated Tim Hortons staff for their efforts on behalf of impoverished students.
Article content
“It’s really a great thing you have done for your communities,” Shaw said at the cheque presentation that was held at the Sunnyside Tim Hortons, 2360 King George Blvd.
Article content
The cookies were baked daily in the restaurants and community volunteers came in and decorated them, said Rachael Stenkowski, general manager of the Maple Ridge restaurants.
Article content
“The fire department, Maple Ridge RCMP officers and kids from Thomas Haney school — all came in and decorated cookies,” she explained. “We sold 7,199 cookies — more than 1,000 a day.”
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
Surrey school board chair Gary Tymoschuk said he was incredibly grateful to the staff of the seven Tim Hortons restaurants for their efforts.
Article content
Read More
-
Adopt-A-School: Sedins ask others to join them in helping schoolchildren
-
Adopt-A-School: Supports contribute to breaking cycles of poverty and trauma
-
Advertisement 1
Story continues below
Article content
“It’s going to help a lot,” said Tymoschuk. “It is another example of the greater community supporting us and helping out kids who face barriers and challenges as they go through life.
Article content
“We are deeply grateful to all those people who organized this campaign and supported it.”
Article content
This year The Vancouver Sun’s AAS program distributed $2.3 million to hundreds of schools in the province to feed and clothe hungry and impoverished students or provide other necessities for their welfare.
Article content
Since AAS began in 2013, more than $17.5 million in aid has been distributed to B.C. schools which had sought help on behalf of their students.
Article content
Article content
Article content
How to donate
Article content
1. ONLINE: Donate online with a credit card atwww.vansunkidsfund.ca
Article content
2. PHONE: To pay by credit card, call 604-813-8673.
Article content
