It was all treats and no tricks for workers at the Newmarket Mars factory, Southlake Regional Health Centre, Central York Fire Services, and residents of a local retirement home as the Mars truck delivered bags of candy today.
In preparation for Halloween, the Mars truck came to town on Oct. 27. The first stop was at the Mars factory on Harry Walker Parkway South, where despite working with candy all day long, staff had huge smiles on their faces as they were given bags of treats.
“It’s almost a validation of all the work we’ve been doing since the spring,” said plant manager Bruce McMurray. “Our factory, we’ve been at the heart and soul of Halloween in our area for decades.”
The plant has been operating in Newmarket for 35 years. Preparation for Halloween this year has been ongoing for months there.
“We fire up hardcore about March to build up for Halloween and it culminates in this, so they’ve been working 24/7 to build up enough product for Halloween across North America,” McMurray said.
He said seeing everyone's smiling faces is a testament to how their candy makes people happy.
The goodie bags were filled with M&Ms, Skittles, Twix, Snickers, Starburst, and McMurray's personal favourite, Mars bars.
After making sure everyone at the plant got some treats, the truck hit the road. The next stop was Southlake Regional Health Centre to thank the health care workers there, then the Central York Fire Services station on Gorham Street to deliver candy to the first responders there. The truck also stopped at The Renoir retirement home, right next door.
McMurray said as good corporate citizens and longtime members of the Newmarket community, the giving back element is animportant part of the Mars truck initiative.
After its tour in Newmarket, the truck is heading south, making stops at retirement homes in Toronto before parking at the Toronto Zoo, where it will give out treats to families and visitors there this weekend.
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