'Happy and thankful': Toronto students surprised with holiday baking kits on Giving Tuesday
Outside Winchester Junior and Senior Public School this Giving Tuesday, a class of Grade 7 students downtown were handed a sweet surprise.
“It was a bit shocking. I didn’t expect it. I was also happy and thankful,” student Olivia February told CTV News Toronto.
The students are among the first to be gifted Gay Lea Foods’ baking kits. They come with a pot holder, butter and a recipe book sharing traditions of family holiday treats and the people who lovingly make them.
“I bake a lot with my mom and my sisters always. It’s going to be really helpful with the pot holder and I’m really excited to try the butter,” said student Joanne Abdalla.
“I bake a lot with my family. I want to try and make cake pops or maybe something that has to do with that, like a cupcake,” said Sarah Idris.
The surprise kits are part of a campaign to ‘bake it forward’ and celebrate the season. A vintage-inspired truck is making 1,400 door-to-door deliveries of the kits around the GTA, Hamilton, London and Barrie.
“The idea is to encourage people to make that connection, and realize not only are we making connections in the kitchen, this is how people demonstrate their love,” said Gay Lea Foods spokesperson Rebecca Wise.
To make this Giving Tuesday more special, the students also got a book and ice cream.
This December, the butter maker is also donating baking supplies to Rex’s Ice Cream—a pandemic start-up known for its African-infused flavours, so more profits can go towards the shop’s book program for youth.
“I feel like the beautiful thing about giving is a two-way street: the person receiving is getting something and you’re also feeling better about yourself, as selfish as that may seem,” said owner Abdul Ali.
Students who received the kits say they like giving back, along with enjoying desserts over the holidays.
“I think it’s a good thing to do,” said student Eric Ayotte. “I think it’s good to actually give back to the community.”
“I think it’s cool, I think a lot of people are going to be excited about it,” said student Annarah Hulls-Perra. “Everyone was like, ‘I want free ice cream,’ and then boom we got free ice cream.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
1 killed, 3 injured in head-on crash on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Significant police presence as Israeli flag flies at Ottawa City Hall
The Israeli flag is flying at Ottawa City Hall today to mark the country's national day, with plans to hold a private ceremony to mark Israel's Independence Day. There is a significant police presence at City Hall, including security barriers outside the main doors.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
8 dead, at least 40 injured as farmworkers' bus overturns in central Florida
A bus carrying farmworkers in central Florida overturned on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring about 40 other passengers, authorities said.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.