A major donation has been made to the Interfaith Food Bank from the Tim Horton's Smile Cookie campaign. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Lethbridge Smile Cookies raise $47K, half going to Interfaith Food Bank

Dec 10, 2025 | 2:15 PM

A treat and helping out a good cause sounded like a sweet deal to many.

The Tim Hortons Smile Cookie campaign has wrapped up in Lethbridge. The 13 local franchises sold 23,594 cookies, meaning $47,188 was raised.

Franchise owner Dave Lawlor says it made him feel proud to see that year-over-year sales of Smile Cookies were up by 25 per cent.

He and his group of local Franchisees vote every year on which organization to support, and he says it did not take much convincing for them to select the Interfaith Food Bank.

“It was the right time, it was the right organization, you know, coming into the holiday season to give them a good injection like this, so $23,000 we’re handing over to them today from the cookie program,” says Lawlor. “It’s great for them, and we know it’s going to go to the right people that need that right now.”

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Half of the money raised from the campaign will go to the food bank, while the other will support the national Tim Hortons Foundation Camps.

Danielle McIntyre, executive director of Interfaith, says these funds will go a long way in supporting those in need.

“When we’re serving over 1,000 households a month, it doesn’t take long for the funds to deplete, but every dollar donated is a dollar that we don’t have to pull out of our own coffers, so we will be able to make sure that a lot of hungry families have a very full Christmas hamper this year,” says McIntyre.

Each food hamper has a retail value of approximately $200, so this will buy them more than 100 hampers.

Food Banks Canada reports that there has been an average of over 2.1 million monthly visits to food banks across the country so far this year, which has doubled over the last six years. It is also an increase of 5.2 per cent from 2024.

McIntyre says demand for Interfaith’s services has certainly increased in recent years as well.

She believes this is largely due to the cost-of-living crisis.

“The reality that your food budget tends to be the crumple zone because you’re not able to choose how much you pay for your mortgage or for your rent or for your utility bill, and that food budget has that wiggle room,” says McIntyre. “Unfortunately for many families, that means missed meals or compromising the quality of the food that they’re able to put on the table.”

The most needed items right now at Interfaith are the ones used to put together a classic Christmas dinner, such as turkey, ham, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, and cranberries.

Year-round, McIntyre says they are looking for foods that are higher in protein and fiber, but lower in salt. These can include things like meat, dairy, and fresh and perishable foods.

Cash donations, however, can actually go farther than food donations. McIntyre explains that food banks buy in bulk and are sometimes offered discounted rates at grocery stores, meaning they can often get a better deal.

The Interfaith Food Bank recently made Charity Intelligence Canada’s Top 100 Charities list for the third consecutive year.

READ MORE: Two Lethbridge non-profits recognized as Top 100 Charities