TROUBLE, TROUBLE: CANADIAN COFFEE GIANT UNDER FIRE FOR SPONSORING N.O.M. EVENT

UPDATE:Tim Hortons today announced it would be rescinding its sponsorship of the NOM cookout. The company issued the following statement on its website.

Recently, Tim Hortons was approached in Rhode Island to provide free coffee and products for a local event, as we do thousands of times a year across Canada and the United States.

For 45 years, Tim Hortons and its store owners have practiced a philosophy of giving back to the communities in which we operate. As a company, our primary focus is on helping children and supporting fundraising events for non-profit organizations and registered charities.

For this reason, Tim Hortons has not sponsored those representing religious groups, political affiliates or lobby groups.

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.

Less than one month after it made its large-scale debut in New York City, iconic Canadian coffee and doughnut giant Tim Horton’s is drawing fire for providing sponsorship to an anti gay-marriage cookout and worship service in Providence, R.I., on Aug. 16.

“Is this the type of politics that Tim Hortons wants to support?” wrote Michael Jones, who started an online petition to have the company rescind its sponsorship.

“Sponsoring this type of event not only serves to alienate many of your customers, but sends the message that Tim Horton’s and their franchises have decided to take a stand against equal rights.”

Tim Hortons is the fourth largest publicly traded fast-food chain in North America (and the largest in Canada) with more than 3,457 restaurants, including 2,930 in Canada and 527 in the United States. It is reportedly providing product to a rally being held by the National Organization for Marriage, a group dedicated to fighting legalization of same-sex marriage across the United States.

Rhode Island is one state that is currently embroiled in a battle over whether to legalize marriage for gay and lesbian citizens and could stand to become the sixth state in New England to do so. Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire have already legalized gay marriage, though the practice has not yet been fully implemented in all.

According to the company’s website, “Tim Hortons does not sponsor individuals, those representing religious groups, political affiliates, book endorsements or traveling sports teams.”

Though NOM is not specifically a religious organization, it is a political activist organization and Jones points out that “numerous religious organizations that oppose LGBT rights will be attending the event.”

Representatives from Tim Hortons have not yet issued any statement.