A Steaming Cup O' Hate with Your Tim Hortons' Doughnut- and a late breaking update
Filed by: Waymon Hudson
August 10, 2009 2:00 PM
UPDATE: It looks like the pressure and attention worked. Just as this was publishing, Tim Hortons updated their website with the message that they are pulling support for the NOM event: "It has come to our attention that the Rhode Island event organizer and purpose of the event fall outside of our sponsorship guidelines. As such, Tim Hortons can not provide support at the event.
Tim Hortons and its store owners have always welcomed all families and communities to its restaurants and will continue to do so. We apologize for any misunderstanding or inconvenience this may have caused."
Here's the background of the Tim Hortons controversy:
Coffee and doughnut chain Tim Hortons, the largest food service operator in Canada which has outlets in the U.S., has decided to offer something less than appetizing on it's menu:![Tim_hortons_logo_original[1].gif](http://www.bilerico.com/2009/08/Tim_hortons_logo_original%5B1%5D.gif){kind=logo}
Anti-gay bigotry.
Tim Hortons is sponsoring Rhode Island's "First Annual Celebrate Marriage & Family Day", an event put on by the National Organization for Marriage. The event is being hailed as:
a great opportunity to take a stand for marriage as it was created: between a man and a woman. Our goal is to esteem marriage to its proper place in society and make a statement that Rhode Islanders believe strongly in this cherished institution.
They're supporting a NOM anti-gay pep rally.
Truth Wins Out points out that the sponsorship, besides being generally disgusting and confounding, would appear to be in violation of the corporate policy against support for religious and political causes, which states:
As a company, our focus is on helping children and supporting fundraising events for non-profit organizations and registered charities.
For this reason, Tim Hortons does not sponsor individuals, those representing religious groups, political affiliates, book endorsements or traveling sports teams. Tim Hortons does not provide cash donations.
The exception is apparently being made because the company also allows local store owners to bend the rules as they please, which explains the coffee, doughnuts, and fundamentalist hate being served up piping hot in Rhode Island.
The sponsorship isn't going over well or being unnoticed by locals. The Providence Daily Dose is dumbfounded:
What in the world are they doing sponsoring something like this? Their site says that they support 'local initiatives that make a difference' -- such as little leagues, Halloween safety, and the like. And that they sponsor community initiatives with a focus on 'helping children and supporting fundraising events for non-profit organizations and registered charities.' But not 'those representing religious groups [or] political affiliates,' such as.. well, how would you characterize a group like NOM?
I couldn't put it better myself. In what crazy leap of logic is NOM not a religious and/or political affiliate? Why would they want their name associated with the group who brought you the lampooned "Gathering Storm" commercial and "opposite marriage" and opposite logic queen Carrie Prejean?
Time to start contacting Tim Hortons and let them know that this type of sponsorship and support to hate groups like NOM isn't going to go unchallenged.
And time to start taking your money and doughnut appetite to another store- one that isn't funneling your money to groups that take away rights.
Editor's Note: And the pressure worked. Kudos to everyone who called, emailed, and let Tim Hortons know how they felt about them supporting NOM.
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7 Comments
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Tim Hortons has already rescinded the sponsorship.
http://www.timhortons.com/ca/en/about/2823.html
David Hart | August 10, 2009 3:07 PM
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good catch and a nice outcome.
Don Davis | August 10, 2009 5:18 PM
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I bet their charities coordinator has switched to decafe!
Robert Ganshorn | August 10, 2009 10:28 PM
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Would Obama have been the featured speaker at this bigotfest.
Would he have repeated his repugnant bigot’s war cry "gawd's in the mix".
We'll never know. Until the next bigotfest.
Bill Perdue | August 11, 2009 6:43 AM
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Right on. Also we need to do the same and boycott all the business's that support the same. lets make up a list. where do we find these business's lets get on NOMS site and find out who is supporting them. and refuse to patron their business's and wreck those comi bastids.
Kevin | August 11, 2009 8:54 AM
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Were it only that simple. NOM attacked me personally in their last email blast because I took them to task for demonizing Tim Gill.
I can look at the tax returns of both Gill organizations and see where every dime goes to. Furthermore, their is a strict delineation to avoid tax ambiguity. The 501(c)3 funds only other charities. The 501(c)4 funds only other political operations.
From NOM we get bupkis. We don't know how much money is coming or going nor where it is coming from not where it is going to.
A fuller explanation is here: http://www.tips-q.com/1231859-nom-takes-tips-q
David Hart | August 11, 2009 11:03 AM
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s/their is a strict delineation to avoid tax ambiguity/there is a strict delineation to avoid tax ambiguity/
David Hart | August 11, 2009 11:05 AM
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