An Edmonton fundraiser for Jewish teens is hoping to match a record for the greatest number of bagels shipped from the St-Viateur Bagel Shop in Montreal.
The B'nai Brith Youth Organization is selling St-Viateur bagels by the dozen as part of its Bagels for Breakfast campaign. Proceeds will go towards the organization's programs, which include leadership training for youth in Grades 8 to 12. Orders close on May 22, and will be ready for pickup on June 14 at the Edmonton Valley Zoo parking lot.
Tammy Vineberg is the fundraiser's chair. This is the third time she's organized the event, with the first fundraiser coming about in 2020 after she saw a news story about a woman in Toronto who had 2,000 St-Viateur bagels shipped to her doorstep.
The second fundraiser in 2021 saw orders placed for 1,440 dozen bagels — that's 17,280 bagels or five pallets worth — which Vineberg said set a record for bagels shipped from the storied Montreal shop. The effort also raised $14,000 for BBYO.
Vineberg wasn't able to do the fundraiser in 2022 because she couldn't find someone to ship the bagels overnight. But this year, the Edmonton International Airport helped connect her with CargoJet, allowing the campaign to return for a third year.
Currently, orders have been placed for 1,017 dozen bagels. But with a few days left before sales close, Vineberg is "very, very hopeful" she'll meet that 1,440 dozen target.
"It would be great to raise that amount of money again for the teens, and... just to say that we did it again!"