Loonies on the Street Fundraiser Returns: Raising Funds for Kawartha Food Share

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The 25th annual Loonies on the Street fundraiser in support of Kawartha Food Share returned to Peterborough Square at the corner of George and Simcoe Streets on Friday morning.

The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers donated $1,000 towards the cause, while the Kinsmen Club of Peterborough gave $10,000 as part of their TV Bingo proceeds.

Dave Smith, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP, donated $250 and challenged Emma Harrison, Peterborough-Kawartha MP and Mayor Jeff Leal to match his donation. If theirs exceeds Smith’s, the MPP will match the increase.

A final count of all proceeds is expected to be released next week.

Kawartha Food Share is a central collection and distribution warehouse that partners with 37 member agencies, including food banks, food cupboards and other food action programs in the City and County of Peterborough.

Donations can also be accepted online.

@ptbo_canada The Bucket Brigade was back this morning for Kawartha Food Share’s 25th annual Loonies on the Street fundraiser at Peterborough Square! 🎅 #PTBOCanada #peterboroughontario ♬ Christmas - Axby

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Tim Hortons's Holiday Smile Cookie Campaign Raises Nearly $35,000 For Kawartha Food Share

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Kawartha Food Share (KFS) has got more happy faces this holiday season as Tim Hortons and its Holiday Smile Cookie Campaign raised $34,594.54, presented at the former’s facility on Thursday afternoon.

(From left to right) Jasmine Lacsote, Stephane Lacoste, Ashlee Aitken, Greg Blair and Jennifer McCall.Kawartha Food Share is a central collection and distribution warehouse that partners with 37-member agency food banks, food cupboards and other food action programs in the City and County of Peterborough. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The campaign ran from Nov. 17 to 23 at all Tim Hortons locations in Peterborough, Lakefield, Bridgenorth and Curve Lake. Over 43,000 cookies were sold and $69,189.08 was raised, split evenly between Tim’s Foundations Camps and Kawartha Food Share.

“A huge thanks goes out to the countless Tims guests who purchased Holiday Smile Cookies for their generosity,” said Axel Schwan, Tim Hortons president. “With 100 per cent of proceeds from every cookie sold donated to local charities, community groups and Tims Camps, you've helped make a real difference in your community.”

“This donation couldn’t come at a better time as we’re in the thick of the busy holiday season,” explained Ashlee Aitken, KFS general manager. “We will use these funds to purchase much needed food items for our 37 member agencies and ensure that they are all well stocked for the holidays and beyond. Thank you to the many volunteers who helped us decorate cookies and make this campaign such a great success!”

The campaign raised $13 million in total, with proceeds donated to more than 600 charities and organizations nationwide.

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Kawartha Food Share Named Recipient For 2025 Tim Hortons Holiday Smile Cookie Campaign Fundraiser

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There are a lot of happy faces at Kawartha Food Share (KFS) after they were selected as recipients of Tim Hortons’ Holiday Smile Cookie Campaign, announced on Friday.

Last year, Kawartha Food Share received $43,992.81 from the Holiday Smile Cookie fundraiser. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The campaign runs form Nov. 17 to 23 at all Tim Hortons locations in Peterborough, Lakefield, Bridgenorth and Curve Lake. The cookies retail for $2.00 each, and all proceeds will be split between Kawartha Food Share and Tim Hortons Foundation Camps.

The Tim Hortons Holiday Smile Cookie is a white chocolate chip sugar cookie, infused with red and green sprinkles, finished with a hand-decorated smile.

Last year, this campaign raised $87,985.62 locally, with half going to KFS.

“We are so thrilled to be partnering with Tim Hortons for this wonderful initiative. The funds raised during this campaign will assist us in purchasing much needed food items to keep our agencies shelves well stocked,” said Ashlee Aitken, KFS general manager. “Our volunteers are excited to get to work decorating cookies for our community.”

Kawartha Food Share is a central collection and distribution warehouse that partners with 37 member agency food banks, food cupboards and other food action programs in the City and County of Peterborough.

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Kawartha Food Share to Pillage Peterborough In 'Porch Pirates For Good' Food Drive This Saturday

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Kawartha Food Share (KFS) is pillaging Peterborough for 2025 as part of its ‘Porch Pirates For Good’ food drive to restock its empty shelves, occurring this Saturday.

In the last five years, the campaign brought in over 185,000 pounds of food and over $20,000 in monetary donations. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Households are asked to leave a bag of non-perishable food items on their front porch with a flyer sent in mailboxes (or anything that makes the donation easy to identify) for the Porch Pirates to collect starting at 9 a.m.

The number of clients using food banks has reached an all-time high throughout the nation, according to KFS. They continue to state that the rising cost of food and supply chain shortages have affected their clients, donors and purchasing power.

The following are the most needed items requested for donation from KFS:

  • Peanut Butter

  • Canned tuna

  • Canned vegetables and canned fruit

  • Individually wrapped school snacks

  • Pasta and pasta sauce

  • Breakfast cereal

  • Gluten-free items – like pasta, cookies, oats etc.

  • Canned soup/stew

  • Feminine hygiene products

  • Monetary Donations (can be made online or during item collection)

For every one dollar donated, three dollars worth of food can be purchased, according to KFS. Volunteers can collect cheques or cash during their pickups on Oct. 25.

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Peterborough Lakers Asking For Donations For Kawartha Food Share For Thursday's Game

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With the Peterborough Lakers’ next matchup against the Brampton Excelsiors, the former is asking the public to bring non-perishable items to donate in support of Kawartha Food Share (KFS) at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Thursday.

Photo courtesy of David Pickering and the Peterborough Lakers.

The donations support KFS in distributing it among its 37-member network of food banks. They will be accepted at the doors.

Thursday’s game will feature a special salute to all Peterborough Minor Lacrosse Association rep Lakers teams before the game. 

The Lakers are atop the standings with a 2-0 record after back-to-back wins over the Brooklin L.C. and the two-time defending-champion Six Nations Chiefs.

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Fill It Up With 'Burst the Bus' Food Drive For Kawartha Food Share

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To help stock the shelves at Kawartha Food Share (KFS), a ‘Burst the Bus’ food drive is happening this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Kawartha Food Share.

STC Bus Lines drivers will be at grocery stores collecting non-perishable food items, toiletries, feminine hygiene products and diapers for Kawartha Food Share.

Collections are at Greg’s No Frills, Chub and Nikki’s No Frills, FreshCo (Brock Street), and Foodland in Norwood (all food items collected at this location are delivered to the Norwood Food Bank).

The following are items in need:

  • Peanut Butter

  • Canned tuna

  • Canned fruit

  • Individually wrapped school snacks

  • Pasta and pasta sauce

  • Alpha-getti, Kraft Dinner and Chef Boyardee

  • Breakfast cereal

  • Gluten-free items – like pasta, cookies, oats, etc.

  • Canned vegetables

  • Canned soup/stew

  • Feminine hygiene products

  • Diapers

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Photos: Peterborough's Appetites Kept Full at YWCA Empty Bowls Fundraiser

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The YWCA hosted the 2025 edition of its Empty Bowls Fundraiser that aids food insecurity in our communities at The Venue on Friday afternoon.

Proceeds from the fundraiser were split between One City’s food programming and Kawartha Food Share.

Roughly 140 participants ate lunch from 11 restaurants while shopping for hand-crafted bowls created by local artisans of the Kawartha Potters Guild.

The following were participating local restaurants that served food at the event:

  • By the Bridge

  • Revelstoke Café

  • Vanilla room

  • La Mesita

  • Hard Winter Bakery

  • Ashburnham Ale House

  • Levantine Grill

  • St. Veronus

  • Fresh Dreams

  • Hanoi House

  • Sam’s Place


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Downtown Holiday Parking Program Raises Over $12,000 For Kawartha Food Share

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The City of Peterborough’s free holiday downtown parking program raised $12,001.77 for Kawartha Food Share that was collected as voluntary parking payments, announced on Wednesday.

The Kawartha Food Share currently assists 14,000 people each month through its 36 member agencies, along with supporting 17,000 schoolchildren at 51 area schools through breakfast and nutrition programs. The free two-hour program first began in 2003. Since then, downtown patrons have helped donate $251,627.65 to Kawartha Food Share. Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.

The program offered free, two-hour parking in all municipal spaces in the downtown core from Nov. 29 to Dec. 31 and was sponsored by Wolfe Personal Injury Lawyers.

“By voluntarily paying for parking, downtown visitors not only supported local businesses but also raised more than $12,000 for Kawartha Food Share. This one simple gesture turned into a powerful act of giving that will make a real difference for those in need,” said Mayor Jeff Leal.

“Thanks to the incredible generosity and community spirit of downtown visitors we’ve seen an overwhelming response to our free holiday parking program. This truly reflects the heart and soul of our city—compassionate, giving, and always ready to support one another,” said Town Ward Councillors Alex Bierk and Joy Lachica in a joint statement.

“Wolfe Personal Injury Lawyers was proud to once again partner with the City of Peterborough for this important cause,” said Bill Wolfe, with Wolfe Personal Injury Lawyers. “We appreciate the support and generosity of shoppers and residents who made voluntary donations during the holiday season. These funds, through the support of Kawartha Food Share, will help reduce food insecurity throughout the region.”

“We are very thankful for the continued support of the City of Peterborough and the wonderful citizens who visited and shopped downtown this holiday season. This donation will allow us to purchase much-needed nutritious food items for community members in need,” said Ashlee Aitken, KFS general manager.

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Kawartha Food Share Receives Nearly $44,000 From Tim Hortons Holiday Smile Cookie Campaign

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Kawartha Food Share (KFS) has many reasons to be happy as they received $43,992.81 from the Tim Hortons Holiday Smile Cookie Campaign in a cheque presentation at the former’s facility on Wednesday afternoon.

Ashlee Aitken, KFS general manager (middle) with several members of Tim Hortons with the funds raised from the Holiday Smile Cookie fundraiser that began in mid-November. The campaign raised $10.7 million in total which was donated to over 600 charities and organizations across the country. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The campaign ran from Nov. 18 to 24 at all Tim Hortons locations in Peterborough, Lakefield, Bridgenorth, Curve Lake and Havelock.

Over 43,000 cookies were sold, raising $87,985.62, split evenly between Tim’s Foundations Camps and KFS. Last year, the campaign raised $67,290.96.

“We’d like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who generously participated in our Holiday Smile Cookie campaign,” said Axel Schwan, Tim Hortons president. “From guests who bought our Holiday Smile Cookies, to our restaurant owners, their team members and the volunteers who enthusiastically gave their time to bake and hand-decorate literally millions of cookies, this year’s campaign was a true display of the impact that kindness can make across the country and right here in our local communities.”

The money will help KFS purchase goods to distribute among its 37-member agency food banks, food cupboards and other food action programs in the City and County of Peterborough.

“This donation couldn’t come at a better time as we’re in the thick of the busy holiday season,” said Ashlee Aitken, KFS general manager. “We will use these funds to purchase much-needed food items for our 37 member agencies and ensure that they are all well stocked for the holidays and beyond.”

On Friday, KFS is hosting its 24th annual ‘Loonies On the Street’ fundraiser outside of Peterborough Square from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Volunteers will take loose change donations throughout George Street with Peterborough Lions Club collecting on the Hunter Street Bridge. Food donations are also accepted during the event.

Due to the postal strike, donation letters could not reach community members. Those who cannot donate at the event can go to KFS’s warehouse at 665 Neal Dr. and donate online.

This year’s goal is to raise $100,000.

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Peterborough Lakers Alumni Donate $750 to Kawartha Food Share During Christmas Social; Loonies On the Street Fundraiser This Thursday

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The Peterborough Lakers Alumni were in the giving spirit during their Christmas Social Party as they donated $750 to Kawartha Food Share’s ‘Loonies On the Street’ fundraising campaign at Sticks Sports Pub on Saturday afternoon.

Photo courtesy of Peterborough Lakers ALumni.

All were invited to the Christmas Social where patrons could, mingle, socialize, win prizes and enjoy pub food.

The 24th-annual fundraiser runs this Friday outside of Peterborough Square. Volunteers will take loose change donations throughout George Street with Peterborough Lions Club collecting on the Hunter Street Bridge.

Due to the postal strike, donation letters could not reach community members. Those who cannot donate at the event can go to KFS’s warehouse at 665 Neal Dr.r donate online.

This year’s goal is to raise $100,000 to purchase goods for KFS to redistribute to 37 food banks.

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