A Fundraiser for the Canada Day Cake!

Hi Everyone,

As many of you know, we’ve made it a tradition to donate a massive cake every year for Canada Day. It’s a true labour of love—Chef Catherine starts dreaming up the design almost as soon as the last slice from the previous year is gone! Over the past 20 years, this cake has grown to mean so much to her. It’s her way of saying thank you to a community that has supported her business, and where so many incredible friendships have taken root.

In the past, we’d leave a small donation jar on our café counter for anyone who wanted to contribute to the cost of the cake. But since closing our café, that little gesture is no longer an option. (Although, we’ll never forget the year a couple—who insisted on remaining anonymous—generously paid for the entire thing!)

This year, we’re thrilled to share that our wonderful friends at Friends of Fort George are contributing $1,000 towards the cake, raised through donations of their own. We’re so grateful for their support. After crunching the numbers, Chef Catherine has estimated the total ingredient cost at $8,400. (We never factor in labour—our time is the heart of our gift.) That’s why we’ve set our GoFundMe goal at $7,500.

We’re not trying to make a profit—just hoping to cover the cost of ingredients and materials. And we've all seen the price of butter! So if we can do that, well… that would be stupendous!

To everyone who has donated in the past, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. And to those who line up each year in the summer heat to watch a cake roll down a hill, grab a slice, and leave with a smile—you’re the reason we do this.

Thank you all, and we’ll see you July 1st!

The Willow