AMHERST, N.S. – If you ate 7,938 smile cookies at Tim Hortons, you will have eaten 1,068 pounds of cookie dough.
You would also have raised $7,938 for the United Way of Cumberland County during Tim Hortons Smile Cookie campaign.
Thankfully, no single person ate that many cookies, but, instead, they were devoured by thousands of customers who visited the three Amherst Tim Horton’s locations during their week-long smile cookie campaign.
“The very first morning we made 600 cookies,” said Doug Costin, owner/operator of Tim Hortons in Amherst.
This is the 16th year Tim Hortons has participated in the smile cookie campaign for the United Way of Cumberland County, and in that time they have raised close to $68,000.
This year they raised more than any previous year.
“I’ve got amazing staff and the customers are always really supportive,” said Costin.
“We ask customers if they would like to buy a smile cookie to support the United Way here in Cumberland County and they always say yes,” he added. “And a lot of businesses support this by buying cookies for a coffee break for their staff.
Dave March, president of the United Way of Cumberland County, challenges other businesses to start fundraising campaigns for the United Way of Cumberland.
“Here’s a businessman who has decided to give the proceeds of this smile campaign to the United Way,” said March. “This is what Doug Costin has done, what are the other businesses ready to do to support the United Way of Cumberland County?”
Anybody with a good fundraising idea is encouraged to call the United Way office at 902-667-2203.
“We’ll talk to the people who want to support the United Way,” said March.
Costin was born in Amherst and grew up on Winston Avenue, just two blocks away from Tim Hortons on South Albion Street.
He and his wife Kim have been in the Tim Hortons business for 33 years.
“The United Way of Cumberland County helps a lot of people,” said Costin. “And every year we raise a little bit more. It’s an easy campaign to stand behind.”
The United Way of Cumberland County kicked off its 2018 campaign on Sept. 19, with the goal of meeting or exceeding the $136,000 it raised last year when its goal was $150,000.
United Way’s eight member agencies have a positive impact on people of all ages throughout Cumberland County.
Those agencies are: The Victorian Order of Nurses Meals on Wheels program, the SHINE and SMILE programs, the Maggie’s Place’s Pop-Up program, the 211 program, Amherst Preschool, St. John Ambulance, the Sexual Health Centre for Cumberland, and the Cumberland County Transportation Society.