'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
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.