Tim Hortons presented BGC Thompson (formerly the Boys & Girls Club) with a $3,922 cheque Nov. 10 raised through the sale of Smile cookies in September.
The money will be used to provide spots for about 10 children and youth in BGC’s reading program and 2022 summer camp, says the club’s executive director Lianne Denysuik.
“Donations are everything, absolutely really important,” Denysuik says. “We have some consistent funders but we don’t have enough to do what we would like to do.”
Summer camp was limited to about 40 to 45 participants this year so that staff could ensure safe social distancing in accordance with COVID-19 pandemic restrictions but in the past has had as many as 60 to 80 participants.
“We’re hoping once COVID becomes a thing of the past that we go back to about 60 to 80 participants,” she said.
A big part of the club’s programs, whether it’s summer camps or the after-school program during the school year, is making sure that participants are well nourished by providing snacks and meals. Food hampers were provided when the pandemic prevented BGC Thompson from providing in-person programming and Denysuik would like to be able to send participants home at the end of the week knowing that they would be eating well on Saturday and Sunday.
“Having really healthy food is still a struggle for families in Thompson so if we can have a hamper system so that on Friday we send youth home with a kit so that during the weekend their nutritional needs are covered, that would be something we’re working towards, hopefully getting more donations and growing that program,” said the executive director.
The Tim Hortons Smile cookie program began in 1996 to raise money for the Hamilton Children’s Hospital and raised a record of $10.56 million for 550 organizations in 2020.
