Empire is committed to building meaningful emotional connections with Canadians, by being strong partners in the community.

Since 2016, Empire has been a proud national partner of Special Olympics and is the largest corporate contributor of funds to the movement in Canada. To date, Empire employees and customers have contributed more than $11 million in support to Special Olympics in Canada through its commitment to the organization and a combination of support including nutrition education, food access, support of local community programming and provincial and national sport competitions.

With a commitment to nurturing healthy bodies and healthy minds, Empire is committed to helping Special Olympics athletes be healthier by providing health education, healthy snacks and other nutritional focused program support.

Empire has chosen Special Olympics to be one of their select charities to have a dedicated fundraising campaign in their banner stores across Canada (excluding Quebec which has a stand-alone campaign in its market). The campaign will run in stores from April 25-May 5 and will be asking customers to make a $2 donation to support Special Olympics local community sport programs across Canada.

Empire wanted to make a more direct and tangible appeal to their customer, so they could see how their donation would make an impact. Working with Special Olympics Canada and with collaboration and input from Chapters, it was determined, based on the total cost to support Special Olympics across Canada on an annual basis, divided by the number of participating athletes, that $2 represented a general approximation of what it cost per day to support an athlete.

A majority of funds from the Empire In-Store Fundraising Campaign will stay in the regions in which they were raised. Each participating Provincial Chapter will allocate funds to support the cost of delivering community programs and competitions. Chapters will allocate funds to areas of greatest need within their communities.

100% of the money raised will be donated to Special Olympics Canada with no administration fees retained by Empire Company Limited. No tax receipts will be issued for the donation made during this time. Empire Company Limited will match donations made in-store to a maximum of $500,000 from April 25th-May 5th, 2024. For more information please visit: www.specialolympics.ca/empire2024

Supporting the campaign through social media is an easy and important way to help us spread the word about the campaign and to bring awareness to the incredible commitment by Empire and its banner stores.

By being active on social media, you will help drive more people into stores and to increase total contributions and funds raised in your community and region. It also serves to generate more awareness and stories about our athlete and our impact in communities and the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. When you tag the banner store on social media, Empire can reshare and engage with this content, extending its reach even further. Specific information including messaging and images can be found in the tool kit. In addition to sharing your photos of your store visits on social media, please upload photos here.

Research shows that people are more likely to support a fundraising campaign when they are asked directly from someone involved in the charity. We are asking the entire Special Olympics community (athletes, coaches, volunteers, family and friends) to get behind the campaign and to help extend invitations to your network to join you in making a simple $2 donation that will have a great impact on the lives of Special Olympics athletes.

One way to do this is by personally inviting five (or more) of your friends and family to join you and visiting your local Empire banner store to make your donation and post on social media. This can be done by reaching out to your friends and family through email or on your social media platforms. The exponential power of this approach can make a huge difference in the funds raised and the reach of this campaign. Let’s help tell our story to as many Canadians as possible and put Special Olympics athletes in the spotlight!

Banner stores that reported higher connection to the cause were more likely to have met their goals and raised more money compared to stores who reported less connection. Banner stores that were aware that athletes featured on the POS were local, received a visit, and/or currently employ SO athletes reported stronger connection to the campaign than those that did not.

Stores that reported higher connection to the cause were also more likely to report that they received recognition for their contributions, further increasing engagement among these stores.

Since the partnership began in 2016 and with their generous donation of $500,000 matching dollars for this year’s campaign, Empire Company Limited has raised and contributed more than $11 million in food and funds to Special Olympics Canada.

Notify Allie Wiebe (awiebe@specialolympics.ca) to ensure media opportunity is amplified from the national level and captured in postcampaign reporting.

Special Olympics Canada is hoping to have the final total of funds raised by June 30, 2024. You can expect to hear more from your Chapter to help in thanking and recognizing Empire and the participating banners for their incredible support and contributions. We can’t say thank you enough, so please help us in contributing to get our thank you far and wide.