This campaign officially started in 2017-2018 under this business, however, it was way back in 2010 when we first implemented a similar community give back through our old bakery. Back then, it was called Home is Where the Heart is, and we made gingerbread house kits and donated them to the Alberta Ronald MacDonald Houses for families to take a time out, connect and create during their stay at the homes. When Lannie Rae Gourmet seemed to be taking flight, we knew we would try to find a way to give back again, and Brighten Up Breakfast seemed to make perfect sense. After all, we are in the business of breakfast, and the most important meal of the day is breakfast, right!?
We knew wanted Brighten Up Breakfast to be a random act of kindness campaign. A surprise gift to someone who could use a simple, thoughtful gesture or expression of care. We wanted this gift to brighten their day and to embrace them in a warm hug. We wanted this endeavour to give hope. The thing is….we have all been there….we’ve all experienced grief, loss, illness, and so forth. When you are in it, it helps to be heard or seen. When we see another hurting, we tend to feel helpless when all we want is to be helpful. Expressing empathy in words can feel empty; taking the burden of running errands off another’s plate, or bringing by home-cooked meals we know doesn’t subside pain, but what it does is ensure connection and care.
CHANGE!
We have decided after this past holiday season of 2021 that we need to make some changes to this endeavour. So with its history and purpose in mind, we explored like minded partnerships to grow with. We worked with Big Hill Haven – our local community women’s domestic outreach shelter to coordinate the delivery of our breakfast boxes to over 70 families staying in shelters over the holiday season. We endeavour to build on this commitment as well as look into others for 2023!