Nearly 800,000 Tim Hortons orange-sprinkled donuts sold so far in support of residential school survivors – still two days left to help make a difference

• 100 per cent of the retail price of the orange-sprinkled donuts are being donated to the Orange Shirt Society and the Indian Residential School Survivors Society. Guests can still get out to a Tim Hortons restaurant today and tomorrow to support the campaign
• More than 2,300 orange-sprinkled donuts were sold at a Tim Hortons restaurant in Kamloops, B.C., on the first day of the campaign, which was the most in the country
• The plan for the fundraising campaign was developed with a group of Indigenous Tim Hortons restaurant owners and after consulting with a number of Indigenous leaders

TORONTO, Oct. 5, 2021 /CNW/ – Tim Hortons and its 1,500 restaurant owners across Canada are proud to announce that nearly 800,000 orange-sprinkled donuts have been sold as of Sunday night with 100 per cent of the proceeds (excluding taxes) being donated to Indigenous organizations that support residential school survivors.

The orange-sprinkled donut first went on sale on Sept. 30, which was Orange Shirt Day, and will continue to be sold until Wednesday, Oct. 6. One hundred per cent of the donut’s retail price (excluding taxes) will be donated to the Orange Shirt Society and the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.

After the shocking news about the discovery of children buried on the grounds of the former Kamloops residential school, Tim Hortons restaurant owners across Canada began asking what they could do to lend their support. A Tim Hortons restaurant co-owned by Shane Gottfriedson, Joe Quewezance and Mitch Shuter is located a short distance from the site of the former Kamloops residential school. They, along with other Indigenous Tim Hortons restaurant owners, were part of a working group that guided the launch of this fundraising campaign.

Their Kamloops restaurant sold more than 2,300 orange-sprinkled donuts on the first day of the campaign, which was the most in the country.

“We’re so grateful to our community for supporting the campaign at our restaurant and we’re so thrilled by how Canadians across the country have responded and shown their support for two amazing organizations that do so much important work,” said Gottfriedson, former Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation chief and former B.C. regional chief for the Assembly of First Nations.

“We will be working hard right through till Wednesday night to make sure we do everything we can to raise as much as possible for the Orange Shirt Society and the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.”

Landon Miller was also part of the working group of Tims restaurant owners for this campaign. He launched his own grassroots orange donut campaign at his restaurant on Six Nations of the Grand River territory in Ontario days after the initial Kamloops discovery. Sharon and Brian Bruyere of the Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba were two other members of the working group for this campaign.

Orange Shirt Day has been observed on Sept. 30 since 2013, when Phyllis Webstad told her story of her first day of residential school. She was six years old in 1973, excited to be wearing her new clothes and going to school for the first time, only to have her shiny new orange shirt ripped away and learn that she didn’t matter. Her organization, the Orange Shirt Society, and the Every Child Matters movement she created continue to raise awareness about Canada’s history of residential schools, along with honouring the survivors and their families and the children who never returned home.

“The truth and legacy of the residential school system are not only Indigenous history, they are Canadian history, that every Canadian should learn and know about. I’m humbled and honoured that my story is a vehicle for change across Canada,” said Webstad.

The Indian Residential School Survivors Society has a more than 20-year history of providing services to residential school survivors, their families, and those dealing with intergenerational traumas. One of the Society’s goals is to continually expand support to partner organizations and maximize access to culturally sensitive, emotional, mental, physical and spiritual care.

“We at the Indian Residential School Survivors Society have moved to virtual one-on-one supports — including a 24-hour crisis line — during the pandemic. This has allowed us to ensure we reach as many former students of Indian residential schools as we can across Canada. We never turn anyone away; it takes courage to extend a hand for help and we intend to be there when they do,” said Angela White, Executive Director of the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.

“More than 150,000 Indigenous children – First Nations, Inuit and Métis – were forced from their homes to attend these neglectful institutions of assimilation and oppression. As a non-profit organization, our ability to provide care is truly enhanced by contributions from the community. We are honoured to do this work, to assist in the wellness of those who survived and to remember those who never made it home.”

Tim Hortons is proud to be launching this program with the support of restaurant owners across Canada, said Hope Bagozzi, Chief Marketing Officer for Tim Hortons.

“At the heart of the Tim Hortons brand is supporting the communities where we serve, and right across Canada, the Tims family felt devastated by the horrific news in Kamloops and the subsequent discoveries that were made at other former residential schools, including in Brandon, Marieval, Kootenay and Kuper Island,” said Bagozzi.

“We are thrilled by the support guests have shown for the campaign so far and our restaurants owners and team members are excited to keep promoting the campaign through Wednesday to support the Orange Shirt Society and the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.”

Visit the Tim Hortons Newsroom to read more about the Orange Shirt Society, the Indian Residential School Survivors Society, and the stories of Tim Hortons restaurant owners Shane Gottfriedson, Joe Quewezance and Mitch Shuter, Landon Miller, and Sharon and Brian Bruyere.

You can also download video B-roll and photos on the Tim Hortons Newsroom.

*Prices may vary by region.

SOURCE Tim Hortons