Matthew Liebenberg
Munching away at cookies purchased in Swift Current during the Tim Hortons Holiday Smile Cookie campaign will bring big smiles to many faces at a local non-profit organization.
The 2nd annual Tim Hortons Holiday Smile Cookie campaign takes place from Nov. 18-24 with 100 per cent of proceeds to be donated to local charities, community groups and Tim Hortons Foundation Camps.
Tim Hortons Swift Current selected Southwest Crisis Services as the local beneficiary of cookie sales during the Smile Cookie Campaign.
Becky Walker, the executive director of Southwest Crisis Services, appreciates the decision by the local Tim Hortons.
“Tim Hortons had reached out to one of our board members and we accepted their offer,” she said. “They’ve had great success with it in the past and we’re lucky to be chosen. … It’s great of them to do this and it shows their commitment to local organizations by being willing to do this.”
The Smile Cookie campaign has become a well-known annual fundraising initiative since Tim Hortons started the program in 1996. The inaugural Holiday Smile Cookie campaign took place last year during November to continue this tradition of giving in the run-up to the holiday season.
White chocolate chip sugar cookies with red and green sprinkles and a hand-decorated smile are sold during the Holiday Smile Cookie campaign.
Walker said it is exciting for Southwest Crisis Services to be a local beneficiary during only the second year of the Tim Hortons Holiday Smile Cookie campaign. It is easy for community members to participate in the campaign by buying a single cookie or a few boxes.
“It has potential to be really amazing, because we would hopefully be able to put the proceeds towards enhancing our programming or maybe taking on a project in our shelter that needs to be done,” she mentioned. “It means a lot to us and I think it’s good timing. It pairs us with Christmas too, which is a nice way to just bring in the holidays.”
She felt another important advantage of being a local beneficiary of the Holiday Smile Cookie campaign will be the opportunity to create more awareness about the work done by Southwest Crisis Services in the community.
“Our goal is always prevention and awareness,” she said. “So we will take this opportunity to try and get the word out. We can also share about the work that we do here and hopefully just continue to raise awareness for our cause.”
Southwest Crisis Services operates a 14-bed safe shelter in Swift Current that provides a haven for women and their children leaving an abusive situation.
“There’s somebody there 100 per cent of the time and most of the time we’re full with a wait list,” she said. “So it’s been quite busy the last few years.”
Other services proved by the organization include a 24/7 crisis help line, outreach support counselling for women, men and children dealing with interpersonal issues or who are at risk of abuse, as well as sexual assault support services.
It is a community-based organization located in Swift Current that serves the entire southwest area of Saskatchewan.
“The need for services continues to rise because of the great job people do with awareness, and I think people are seeking help more often,” she said. “So we try to continue to grow and expand to meet the needs of the increasing number of people that are coming to us for help.”
There is a team of five counsellors who will travel to different communities in southwest Saskatchewan. The work done by the organization has an important focus on prevention.
“We have counselling available for all genders,” she said. “We do serve people who have perpetrated violence and people who have been a victim. We’re trying to look at it from a preventative standpoint as well and offer that type of programming.”
She noted that the generosity of the community makes a real difference in supporting the work of Southwest Crisis Services.
“We’ve been working really hard to provide that professional service and we hope that the community sees that and values it and continues to support us,” she said.
