Tim Hortons’ annual Holiday Smile Cookie campaign returns this week, and Carman volunteers are hoping residents will help turn festive treats into meaningful support for local families.
From Nov. 17 to 23, Holiday Smile Cookies will be sold at Tim Hortons restaurants across the region, including Carman, where 100 per cent of proceeds will be donated to the Carman and District Christmas Cheer Board. Local volunteers from CIBC, RBC, Newman Hand Insurance and Nakonechny and Power — along with members of the Cheer Board — will also be helping decorate cookies throughout the week.
The funds will help provide hampers and support programs for households experiencing increased financial strain this holiday season.
Cheer Board representatives say being chosen as this year’s beneficiary means more than a financial boost — it gives the organization much-needed visibility during a time when many residents haven’t yet shifted into holiday mode.
“Benefiting from the cookie campaign isn’t just about the funds we receive when the week is done,” a spokesperson said. “It will help bring awareness to our organization in general. Particularly in years such as this, with no snow and above normal temperatures, many of us — even myself — barely have Christmas on the radar. A week of social media posts about the Holiday Cookies and supporting your local cheer board is also a helpful aspect of the campaign.”
This year’s cookie is a white-chocolate sugar cookie with red and green sprinkles baked in, each hand-decorated with a “perfectly imperfect” white smile. At $2 each (plus tax), every purchase contributes directly to strengthening food security and seasonal assistance for Carman-area families.
Although hamper requests have only just begun, Cheer Board volunteers say the need in the community remains steady.
“It is too early to speak to the need in detail,” they noted. “However, for many years now we have provided approximately 150 hampers to our area. The funds from this fundraiser will help purchase the food required to fill those hampers.”
They add that the impact of a single cookie purchase goes far beyond its $2 price tag.
“Buying a single cookie may feel like a drop in the bucket; however, that cookie together with all the rest add up to thousands of dollars of groceries,” the spokesperson said. “Purchasing a cookie for your child represents an opportunity to tell your child that our neighbours don’t have what we do. Awareness of need around us is the first step toward making a difference in our community.”
Nationwide, last year’s Smile Cookie and Holiday Smile Cookie campaigns raised $10.7 million for more than 900 charities, community groups and Tim Hortons Foundation Camps. The 2025 Holiday Smile Cookie program is expanding again, supporting 400 new charities across Canada in addition to long-time partners like the Tim Hortons Foundation Camps, which provide multi-year leadership development experiences for underserved youth.
Customers can buy cookies in-store, through the Tim Hortons app, or by downloading the large-order form online for bulk purchases. Delivery partners will also offer Holiday Smile Cookies throughout the week. A map of participating restaurants and their supported charities can be found at timhortons.ca.
The Carman Cheer Board encourages residents to spread kindness early this holiday season — one smile at a time. Share your photos using #HolidaySmileCookie.
