Heather, the franchisee of Park and Tilford is a Community Star
“The best thing about being a COBS Bread franchisee is the connection with the local community.” – Heather, franchisee of COBS Bread Park and Tilford
Heather, the franchisee of COBS Bread Park and Tilford, is passionate about making a difference in the community. She started out her journey as a Franchise Manager at the COBS Bread Support Office, and eventually opened her own bakery in North Vancouver, British Columbia. Since then, she has been able to do what she loves most – operating her own business, while giving back to the community.
Growing up in the neighbourhood, Heather has benefited from many educational and extracurricular programs that the community offered. Thus, it has been very rewarding for her to give back through various bakery-led community initiatives, such as the Doughraiser Program and the End of Day Giving Program.
The Doughraiser Program
Through the Doughraiser Program, Heather has been partnering with 35 community groups, such as Girl Guides, Lonsdale Creek Daycare, Lions Gate Hospital, Eastview Elementary School and many more. “It is so special being able to give back to the elementary school that I attended, which is also the school that my kids are attending,” says Heather. When customers make a purchase at the bakery and mention the group’s name, 5% of customer purchases will be donated back to the group. The funds raised from the program have supported many community activities and initiatives, such as elementary school graduation events, new computers for schools and new book for kindergarten groups.
Additionally, she has been partnering with nine schools to support their hot lunch programs, in which participating schools receive a 15% discount when they order from COBS Bread Park and Tilford. The bakery packages all the orders and drops it off to schools. This helps schools raise money for their extracurricular activities and other school-wide initiatives, as they charge parents full price when they order lunches for their cihldren. To support the coordination of these hot lunch programs, Heather donates 25 dollar gift cards for schools as an appreciation gift to their volunteers.
The End of Day Giving Program
Aside from the Doughraiser Program, Heather has been very involved with the End of Day Giving Program. She has been partnering with seven charitable groups to donate leftover bread to communities in need. In particular, Heather has been partnering with Lookout House and Health Society for the longest, ever since opening the bakery. Lookout is a charitable organization that provides housing and a range of support services to adults with low or no income. The group offers housing options such as permanent supportive housing and transitional housing, as well as shelter options such as emergency shelters and extreme weather response shelters. “We have a waitlist of groups of the End of Day Giving Program, but we try our best to support as many group as we can,” says Heather.
In the new year, Heather is looking forward to continuing her efforts in giving back to the community, whether that is through current bakery-led initiatives, or new initiatives. Currently, she is exploring ways on how the bakery can deliver leftover products to their End of Day Giving partners, instead of having volunteers to pick it up. This ensures that products can still be delivered to those in need, even if there are no volunteers available for pick up. “It is important that food does not go to waste and someone is able to enjoy it,” says Heather.
If you are thinking about making a change in your life and career, inquire to be a franchisee with COBS Bread today.