CORNWALL, Ontario – The Happy Popcorn Co. recently made donations of $544 to Autism Ontario and $1370 to Centre York Centre in Cornwall, and Diversity Cornwall
The funds raised for Autism Ontario were done so through the April Sales of a specially produced Autism Popcorn Package, with a portion of the proceeds from each box sold online donated to the charity. “Autism Ontario is a charity near to our hearts,” says Bill Halman, one half The Happy Popcorn Co. ownership team. “Our son Jack is on the spectrum, and through Autism Ontario’s programming and events, we’ve been able to experience so many new activities with other families in the same situation as us. For example, Jack had the opportunity a few years back to learn how to ice skate through a couple of events planned by the Eastern Ontario chapter. An opportunity otherwise he would not have had, as both myself and his mother are not great skaters, and a typical learn to skate program would not be suitable for him”.
During the month of May, The Happy Popcorn Co. put out a series of Mystery Boxes in support of Centre York Centre, with a portion of the proceeds supporting the charity. What made those boxes so successful, was the addition of a mystery gift certificate or gift card from a local restaurant. “With COVID, our peers in the restaurant community have really struggled to keep their doors open, while adapting to the constant changes and uncertainty. Some, haven’t been able to pay themselves in months in an effort to be able to pay their bills and staff. Bill and I thought how can we help out? And, how can we help out both our peers and York Centre and that’s how we came up with mystery gift cards inside the mystery boxes. Each box was unique and had a minimum retail value of $35 that we sold for $29.95 each. A box could have been worth more than $35 if the gift card happened to be a higher value card!” Explains Kristin. “They were incredibly well-received, and we’re pleased to report that only did we raise $1370 for York Centre, but we personally invested over $2000 in local restaurants by buying gift cards and gift certificates for the boxes.“ Says Bill, “We’re thrilled to help out, it’s very important to us that everyone makes it through this pandemic.”
The recent donations to Autism Ontario, Diversity Cornwall and Centre York Centre are not the first for The Happy Popcorn Co. Since they opened their doors in December 2019, they have donated over $18,000 in cash and popcorn to local charities including Beyond 21, Rachel’s Kids, The Boys and Girls Club of Cornwall SD&G, Carefor Hospice, Crafting a Cure, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Cornwall Community Hospital Foundation, Baldwin House, Fishing for Autism and countless others. “It’s a part of our business mantra; Be Kind. Do Good” says Kristin Davey, co-owner “Our business is only as strong as our community, and it is important to us that we help out whenever we can.“
The Happy Popcorn Co. has plans to continue with its charitable efforts. Despite COVID-19, social distancing restrictions, and the changes they have implemented in the day-to-day operation of the popcorn business, they are optimistic that all fundraising goals they have planned will be met. “Again, we couldn’t do this without our fantastic customers, neighbours, and partners,” says Kristin “We really do have a great community here in Cornwall, who always step up and we couldn’t be more grateful to be a part of it.”
For more information on The Happy Popcorn Co. or to place an order for curbside pick-up visit www.thehappypopcornco.com
