Smiling cookies, helpful volunteers, and dollars raised for a great cause

By Serena Lapointe

If only Maureen Sauve, a Tim Hortons franchise owner in Hamilton, Ontario, could’ve
known that her idea to bake and sell special cookies in support of a community project
would one day become a source of pride across the country.
That’s the origin story of the Tim Horton’s Smile Cookie. In 1996, Sauve initiated the
first-ever fundraiser using the happy cookies to support the Hamilton Children’s
Hospital, specifically a ward that was treating her daughter. Wanting to do something
impactful, she used what she knew, her Tim Horton’s franchise, and kick-started a
movement.
But it’s not just about the cookie. It’s about the franchise owners who invest time in
supporting causes in their own communities, the staff who help and encourage
volunteers as they prep cookies, those who receive dollars to support their programs
and services, and the volunteers who show up and happily decorate hundreds of
yummy cookies.
The Community Lunchbox (CLB) is in year two of receiving the blessing that is the
Smile Cookie Campaign. The Boys and Girls Club of Whitecourt and District received
the funds for years, until its closure in 2024. Ahead of the 2025 cookie campaign,
franchise owner Tony Sgro, who owns both Whitecourt locations, chose CLB as the new
recipient.
In their first year, the CLB came out swinging and breaking records. Staff and volunteers
worked hard to spread the word that the cookie campaign was coming, and it resulted in
nearly double the cookies sold compared to the previous year. A whopping 9,600
cookies in a municipality with approximately 10,000 residents is in no way a small feat.
This year, the CLB hopes to achieve big things again. Starting on April 27 and ending
on Sunday, May 3, thousands of cookies made their way into the Tim Horton’s ovens,
and out to eager decorators, who added two blue eyes and a pink smile onto every
single one. Chair of the Community Lunchbox, Tara Baker, was at the uptown Tim
Horton’s location on Friday afternoon, guiding a group of volunteers on the how-tos for
making the faces.
One by one, cookies received faces, each one different than the last. “There are some
great big eyeballs over there,” laughed Baker, as she looked over to the trays on the
counter. “It’s hilarious in the best way.” One of the favourite parts about the campaign for
buyers, aside from feeling good about the purchase, is getting to see what their cookie’s
face will look like, the funnier the better.

For Baker, seeing volunteers come in is always humbling. “This week alone, we have
had 60 different volunteer shifts filled and over 120 volunteer hours put into this. To
organize and get that many shifts filled is amazing. We are grateful to have so many
people step up and want to be a part of it.”
Having a long list of volunteers to call on is a big help. “A pool of 144 volunteers allows
us to be able to tackle something like this, and even this week we’ve been able to
expand our volunteer base, including new volunteers to the Community Lunchbox. One
of the highlights was having senior high students from both schools being able to
participate,” explained Baker.
Several long-time volunteers have shared that the Smile Cookie Campaign is a yearly
highlight they look forward to. “Decorating smile cookies brings joy, as does being in a
positive environment like Tim Hortons and being included in doing important tasks like
decorating,” said Baker.
One of the CLB crew, Jayden, had an extra awesome time decorating cookies on
Thursday. His beaming face told the whole story (pictured). “It was one of the most
exciting moments so far this year, seeing Jayden smile while working and volunteering
for the smile cookies. It was an eye-opener for us to be able to see him smiling towards
the camera and feeling joy in a meaningful way,” smiled Baker.
She credits the staff at both Tim Horton’s locations as being a pleasure to work with and
thanked them for making the process as easy as possible, even with all the extra feet in
the kitchen. “I recognize that we have a lot of different people coming into the space,
and they are making it as easy as possible for us to shine. We are extremely grateful for
them.”
Franchise owner Tony Sgro said his staff looks forward to the campaign each year. “We
are very proud to support the community. It is a real source of pride for us. Getting to
see familiar faces coming in to buy cookies and recognizing the volunteers are two
things that make the campaign more special in a small-town restaurant,” said Sgro,
adding, “Thank you to everyone for your support!”
From humble beginnings in Hamilton, Ontario, to a country-wide movement that has
raised more than $150 million for charities, the Smile Cookie Campaign is a tradition
that Canadians like to keep supporting. Last year alone, over $22 million was raised,
well above the average of $16-18 million.
In Whitecourt, the dollars raised will be a win no matter what, and the CLB is grateful for
every single dollar. Whether they beat last year’s record-setting amount or not is not the
measure of success. The true measure of success is whether the community came out
and supported the cause. Based on the number of cookies made and sold by the time

this article is published, this campaign will undoubtedly be another grand success. The
final count of cookies sold and dollars raised will be announced soon.