Innisfil Food Bank staff hope to have thousands of reasons to smile in a couple weeks.
The organization has been named the recipient of proceeds from the Alcona and Innisfil Heights Tim Hortons locations during their upcoming Smile Cookie campaign.
“They picked us last year; this year, I didn’t think we had been chosen again,” food bank coordinator Donna Sawyer said. “We were really pleased. The funds we received last year were substantial — very good for us.”
Last year, the campaign collected nearly $32,700 for the food bank.
That covered over one months’ worth of food for the organization, Sawyer said.
“It was pretty great,” she said, joking that the food bank was allowed to keep last year’s ‘big cheque’ and they still have it in storage. “That allows me to buy in bulk and buy what I need, when I need it. We’re still heavily dependent on actual food donations. But when we receive monetary donations, it gives us a little bit of flexibility. Sometimes, if I’m ordering by the skid, I can get it for a ridiculously good price. Money is a little bit easier to use.”
Over the last four years, the number of families requiring assistance from the food bank has increased by 78 per cent. In 2022 alone, the organization distributed about 1,400 hampers of food — that number climbed to more than 1,800 by the end of last year.
“Having a boost like the Smile Cookie campaign really helps us, in terms of meeting the needs of the vulnerable in our community,” Sawyer said. “We don’t want people experiencing food insecurity, but it’s happening. Our numbers have gone up an awful lot. The number of new people coming in … we used to see 10 or 11 a month. Now I’m seeing that weekly.”
As more people struggle, they give less — which means the food bank is seeing an overall drop in donations.
“Some of the families we’re seeing are double income. Both parents are working," Sawyer said. "You just cannot make ends meet.”
As well, she raised the issue of “shrinkflation,” where the product price stays the same, but portion sizes decrease.
“When you are dealing with food insecurity, that can be the difference between whether you’re feeding two people or one person,” she said. “If you do a whole other can, that’s double what you were spending.”
Smile Cookies will be sold at Tim Hortons locations across the country from April 29 to May 5.
The program started in 1996 to help raise funds for a children's hospital in Hamilton. Today, more than 600 local charities and organizations in communities across Canada benefit from Smile Cookie sales, the company says.
Sawyer will be visiting local businesses over the next few days to request they purchase cookies, take a photo and post it to social media, tagging the food bank.
“We can share it around,” she said. “We’re just asking everyone to get on board. We're really excited about it. We're hoping for a bigger number than last year.”
For more information on the food bank, visit its Facebook page or innisfilchurch.com.
