Prince Albert still loves its Toffifee.
Each year, Malcolm Jenkins of Canadian Tire sells thousands of the candies and donates all proceeds to a cause in the community.
For the second year in a row, the Rose Garden Hospice was chosen as the recipient of the fundraiser this past Christmas season.
From November through January, the store sold almost 30,000 boxes of Toffifee. Jenkins presented a $30,000 donation to the hospice Friday afternoon at the foundation’s Gateway mall office.
“This is the fifth year now,” Jenkins said of the fundraiser. “It’s gone up every year — 29,920 boxes of Toffifee were devoured by the terrific citizens of Prince Albert who came on board for a great cause again.”
The thousands of sales means Jenkins remains the top seller of Toffifee anywhere in the world.
“In the world, in the charted universe, in the stratosphere, anywhere on the globe — that’s us,” Jenkins said.
He placed the candies in the front of the store with a sign informing residents of the hospice. It’s a great way, he said, to raise awareness about the project.
“In the Christmas season, you’re getting the message to two or three thousand a day. It becomes universal in the city,” he said.
“People know it’s a great cause and they see it coming now. It’s like the first snowfall, here it is, the Toffifee sale. It’s become a tradition in P.A.”
The finished hospice will have a non-denominational chapel for contemplation, prayer, quiet gatherings and celebrations. The facility will have ten beds in a 10,000 square foot building.
Operations will include expert care providers such as health practitioners, therapists, a social worker, spiritual care providers and others committed to personalizing and humanizing end of life care.
The foundation is looking to raise $4 million to fund the facility’s construction. The province said it will fund operations once it opens.
Board member Ralph Boychuk said the project “encompasses community” so any fundraiser involving the community is something the project embraces.
So far, they’ve raised $2.6 million out of their $4 million goal.
“We’re well over halfway and every week there seems to be something coming in for us,” he said.
“We’re extremely hopeful we’ll be done by June in terms of fundraising.”
