'This very caring village': Newmarket friends raise $18,300 for food pantry with NWMRKTproud Pride T-shirt campaign

Rebecca Gardiner and Joanne Sweers also raised $7,000 selling tuques with logo during the winter

Yorkregion.com
July 25, 2023
Lisa Queen

Best friends Rebecca Gardiner and Joanne Sweers continue to do Newmarket proud.

And have raised more than $25,000 for the Newmarket Food Pantry in the process.

At a ceremony July 12 at Market Brewing Company, they presented a cheque for $25,324 to the pantry, thanks to their NWMRKTproud campaign.

About $18,300 came from their Pride T-shirts with the NWMRKTproud logo, each sold for at least a $20 donation to the food bank. The shirts were sold in June during Pride Month.

Gardiner and Sweers also raised about $7,000 selling tuques with the logo during the winter.

The friends came up with the idea for NWMRKTproud after several months of donating food to the community fridge outside the Newmarket Public Library.

They wanted to up their game to get more donations to the pantry.

Knowing what a supportive community Newmarket is, the friends said they wanted to draw people into helping to feed their neighbours.

“We are so humbled by the support of our business community and all the great people of Newmarket who have donated and receive tuques and T-shirts during our campaign,” the friends said in a statement, adding many businesses also helped with the campaign.

“It takes a village and we are grateful to be part of this very caring village.”