Library chosen for Tim Hortons’ Smile Cookie program

April 16, 2026 · 0 Comments

The Aurora Public Library and its patrons will have plenty of reasons to smile this month as they partner with local Tim Hortons restaurants on the annual Smile Cookie campaign.

Running from Monday, April 27 through Sunday, May 3, the campaign will see Tim Hortons donate 100 per cent of the proceeds from all Smile Cookie sales at Aurora restaurants directly to the Aurora Public Library (APL).

This is the first time APL has been chosen to take part in this type of fundraising initiative, which raises tens of thousands of dollars locally each year.

“We love to keep it local,” says Aurora Tim Hortons franchise owner Drew Alford. “In Aurora, we have a shortlist of local partners. We worked with the Canadian Mental Health Association for the last two years, and they were great partners, but we just like to change it up and share the wealth. We think APL is really simpatico with what we’re doing – we’re a place that’s for everybody all the time and so is the Library.

“I’ve got a young family and we’re users of libraries all the time, so I understand how important libraries are. When APL came up, it was kind of a no-brainer for us.”

Tim Hortons’ partnership with APL comes at a particularly opportune time for the Aurora Public Library as it aims to meet growing community demand with a zero per cent budget increase from the Town of Aurora in the 2026 Municipal Budget.

The APL receives the bulk of its funding from the Town of Aurora, but under the Public Libraries Act, they are a separate entity from the municipality that is also a non-profit.

“We were so happy to be selected to be the charitable partner for the spring Smile Cookie campaign,” says Jodi Marr, CEO of the Aurora Public Library. “It was a really big surprise for us because we’ve never done anything like this before and it was great timing. We’re hitting all these wonderful milestones and it’s just good to know that people in the community are recognizing the good work that we do and want to give back in the same way.

“We can only do the things that we do based on the funds that are available. When times are tough and there’s decisions made about reducing tax rates in order to help people who are having economic struggles, we become more important to the people that are having those economic struggles, but we also need to look elsewhere for revenue to help us. We do that through grants, through charitable partners, and that’s kind of our approach to it all. It has been a tough year politically, and we are working hard to use the taxpayers’ dollars as best we can in the most efficient way to develop and continue to provide the services. We’re not cutting any services, but this will make a huge difference in the way that we can approach what some of the residents of Aurora see as our regular services.”

Last year’s proceeds from the local Smile Cookie campaign topped $30,000, says Alford, and this is a number he says grows year over year. So too do Library visits, which almost hit 400,000 visits in 2025 alone.

Marr says the contributions from this year’s Smile Cookie campaign will make a “huge difference” in what they’re able to offer to the community, including investments in programming, collections, and services – including a children’s version of their Creative Studio, which is part of APL’s future planning, and initiatives serving an aging community.

Tim Hortons’ spring Smile Cookie program runs April 27 and May 3 with 100 per cent of the proceeds at Aurora locations going back to the Aurora Public Library. Throughout the campaign, APL volunteers will also be at local restaurants spreading the word about APL services, helping residents register for their library cards, and more.

In addition to individual cookie sales, community members can support the campaign through the purchase of Smile Cookie buttons and plushies, and the restaurant is also accepting bulk orders for businesses that want to make large orders.

Order forms will be available at both local Tims outlets and at APL.

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter