Be on Time! Advertising Deadline: 12 Noon on Tuesday

Friday, April 25, 2025

For PDF version of this weeks paper, please click here...

Residents of the Neepawa area are encouraged to treat themselves to a cookie that will end up helping a local cause.

Tim Hortons is once again hosting its Smile Cookie week from April 28 to May 4, with the proceeds of the Neepawa location going to the Beautiful Plains Community Foundation, while the proceeds in Gladstone go to the Gladstone Area Senior Support Program.

Those with a sweet tooth or who want to help a local cause can head to the fast-food giant from April 28 - May 4, 2025, and purchase your cookie(s). Beautiful Plains Community Foundation Executive Director Melissa Grindheim said they’re honoured to be chosen for this fundraiser.

“Being chosen for the Tim Horton Smile Cookie (fundraiser) means that the BPCF gets more exposure in the community and more funding towards our Community Endowment Fund, which is the fund that distributes grants to organizations in the community when grant applications are submitted,” she said. Growing this fund is always our goal.”

According to its website, the BPCF was formed in 1995 and has accumulated over $4.2 million in assets through fundraising efforts and donations. Over $1.85 million has been granted to charitable groups in the Neepawa area.

Grindheim noted what the funds from Smile Cookie Week will be used for.

“The foundation will be putting the proceeds into our Community Fund to help grow the fund to help support organizations in the community through grants. Increasing our Endowment funds is one of our many ongoing goals as a

community foundation,” said the Executive Director.

Last year, Smile Cookie raised $19.8 million across North America, supporting over 600 charities and community groups in Canada and the US.

The BPCF serves Neepawa and the municipalities of Rosedale, Glenella-Lansdowne, the Langford portion of North Cypress-Langford, alongside the towns of Brookdale.

The community foundation hopes to achieve its goal of selling over 9,000 cookies.

“The 9,000 cookies goal was a number that had been chosen based on the cookies sold throughout the campaign in previous years,” said Grindheim.

According to Tim Horton’s website, the Smile Cookie campaign started in 1996 to raise funds to support Hamilton (Ontario) Children’s Hospital. Since then, the annual campaign has raised more than $130 million for charities and community groups that are selected every year by Tim Hortons restaurant owners.

The BPCF Executive Director said the feeling of having such a large corporate company hosting fundraisers like the Smile Cookie Campaign shows how much these corporate companies are willing to give back to communities.

“The Foundation being the recipient of the campaign this year is an incredible honour, and we are thrilled that we are going to be having the proceeds go toward our Community Endowment Fund and that we can redistribute the interest on this growing fund every year through grants to help local organizations in our community.”

The Tim Hortons Smile Cookie campaign runs from April 28 to May 4.