By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
DUNNVILLE—Its mission accomplished once again in Dunnville, the many staff and volunteers behind yet another massive Smile Cookie campaign can finally rest.
While the official numbers were not available as of publication, so we cannot officially declare Dunnville as the top seller in Canada for the sixth straight year in a row, we do know that it came right down to the wire with local volunteers working to the last possible minute vying for first place.
“All I can say is, on average we raise about $50,000 and our hope is to do that again this year. We were neck and neck with a store in Manitoba and until Tim Hortons releases their numbers we don’t know where we end up,” said Dunnville Hospital and Healthcare Foundation (DHHF) Executive Director Penny Banks. “That being said, this town is and will always be number one in passion for their hospital and Smile Cookies – and no one can take that away!”
The raised funds will, as always, be donated to the Haldimand War Memorial Hospital, who will use the funds toward their planned goal of purchasing a new CT Scanner.
Banks touched on the behind-the-scenes effort that goes into the yearly campaign: “The week of the Smile Cookie campaign is a hub of activity both at the Tim Hortons location and at True Experience, where the cookies are decorated and packed up. The staff in the store are incredible and you can feel the energy as soon as you pull into the parking lot. All week long, you can hear the staff ringing the bell for every dozen cookies sold!”
She said that over at True Experience the atmosphere is just as energetic and supportive, with nearly 150 volunteers putting in over 500 hours to help Dunnville retain its title as ‘Cookie Capital of Canada’.
“Honestly, this is one event that every single member of the community plays a part in. From retired folks and high school students who need volunteer hours, to moms and their children – everyone contributes. We were even thrilled to have MPP Bobbi Ann Brady, Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley, and Councillor Patrick O’Neill all stop by to put smiles on cookies!”
When asked what volunteering to decorate cookies meant to him, O’Neill said, “They told me today that it is five years in a row and they are going for six, so that’s great. It’s always good to be known for something, especially something that revolves so much around volunteers and so much community spirit. I’m glad to play my part and help them get another win.”
Banks said that prior to the start of this year’s campaign, she had some concerns, namely, the change from the traditional fall timeslot for the campaign to the spring, and the rise in price for the cookies from $1 to $1.50.
“We depend on the Smile Cookie Campaign through Tim Hortons to help us raise money each year and I wasn’t sure about having this campaign seemingly so close to last September. I thought maybe the community would shy away from the new challenge. Additionally, having our calendar of events already secured for 2023, I was concerned a May Smile Cookie Campaign would interfere with our other planned events.”
She continued, “While the campaign is supported tremendously by volunteers, there is a considerable amount of work to be done to recruit, schedule, and train volunteers. Our Signature Events Coordinator Danielle Ormonde dedicates weeks before and the week of Smile Cookies on this part of the puzzle and quite simply, we would not see the success we do without this integral role.”
Getting to number one in the country isn’t easy. Tim Hortons store manager Lisa Hribar begins the process by ordering over 225 boxes of cookies, which are stored in a rented freezer trailer on-site. Twelve cookies can fit on a single baking sheet, and the two ovens at Tim’s can hold up to five trays, or 60 cookies, at a time. They are then placed on transportation racks, donated by Shaun from Dempster’s Bread, and taken to True Experience.
“Once received by the volunteers, they are then placed on a rack where they wait to make it to the assembly line of decorators! After they are decorated, they are placed on the rack again for the eyes and smiles to dry. This takes about 20 minutes per tray,” said Banks. “When the fondant is dry the cookies are packed up in singles or bags of six and transported back to the store to be sold!”
Reaching their $50,000 target this year meant completing and selling no less than 33,334 cookies. A massive task, but all in a day’s work for the tremendous team of volunteers who put so much heart and soul into their efforts year in and year out.
The Press sends a big congratulations to all who helped make the campaign possible, to both the reigning champions in Dunnville and to all participating Tim Hortons in Haldimand who raised funds for various worthy causes.
Note: An update on the final tally for the Dunnville Smile Cookie campaign will be provided in our online edition once available.
