Empire calls on Canadians to 'Feed The Dream' and celebrate Canada's 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic athletes

The 'Feed The Dream' platform builds on the momentum of the Tokyo 2020 Games and the support of Team Canada athletes

STELLARTON, NS, Jan. 11, 2022 /CNW/ - Today, Empire Company Limited ("Empire" or the "Company") (TSX: EMP.A), the Official Grocer of the Canadian Olympic and the Canadian Paralympic Teams, proudly unveils the Winter 2022 Feed The Dream platform, continuing the Company's support of Canada's Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Building on the momentum of the Tokyo 2020 Games, Empire's family of brands continues to celebrate the emotional connection between family, food and sport with the Feed The Dream platform.

Empire will provide grocery cards to all qualified 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic athletes. The grocery cards can be redeemed for nutritious food at Empire banner stores, including Sobeys, IGA (Quebec), Safeway, Foodland, Thrifty Foods and Voilà. Empire will also celebrate its partner athletes through a comprehensive and immersive nation-wide experience in-store and online, by sharing their stories through short, family biography videos, store signage and limited-edition reusable shopping bags. Feed The Dream also leverages the power of social media, and the feedthedream.ca website, to connect Team Canada Olympic and Paralympic athletes with family, friends and fans around the world.

"We are thrilled that our Feed The Dream platform brought out the pride and passion of Canadians and athletes last summer, and we are excited to continue fueling that momentum into the Winter Games," said Sandra Sanderson, SVP, Marketing, Empire. "The heartwarming stories about how families, friends, coaches and communities have rallied around Canadian athletes and Para athletes are emotional, inspirational and significant to their individual journeys. We are sharing some of these unique stories with Canada and inviting everyone to join us and share their unique experiences of how they Feed The Dream every day. This platform highlights the determination and discipline of Canadian athletes, and the power of family on their journey – from backyard skating rinks and local ski hills, to the biggest stage in sport."

Empire also announced the Team Canada Olympic and Paralympic athletes who will represent Empire at the 2022 Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, including the Canadian Women's Hockey Team and top athletes across multiple sports.

• Canada's Women's Hockey Team
• Blayre Turnbull, Women's Hockey (Stellarton, Nova Scotia)
• Brady Leman, Ski Cross (Calgary, Alberta)
• Cassie Sharpe, Freestyle Skiing – Halfpipe (Vancouver, British Columbia) 
• Isabelle Weidemann, Long Track Speed Skating – 3000m (Ottawa, Ontario)
• Marie-Philip Poulin, Women's Hockey (Quebec City, Quebec)
• Mark Arendz, Para Nordic Skiing (Hartsville, Prince Edward Island) 
• Max Parrot, Snowboard (Bromont, Quebec) 
• Mollie Jepsen, Para Alpine Skiing (Vancouver, British Columbia) 
• Sarah Nurse, Women's Hockey (Hamilton, Ontario) 

"Empire's innovative grocery card program provides incredible support to Paralympic athletes, recognizing the importance of proper fuel and nutrition as they train for the Games and work to achieve their goals," added Karen O'Neill, CEO, Canadian Paralympic Committee.

"Every athlete's Olympic dreams are fed by hard work, grit, perseverance, and most importantly, the unconditional support of family, friends, coaches, and fans. 'Feed The Dream' ensures athletes receive the nourishment required to pursue the world's greatest sporting stage," said Jacquie Ryan, the Chief Brand and Commercial Officer at the COC.

The "Feed The Dream" platform officially kicks off today and will run for the entirety of the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games with creative featuring Olympic and Paralympic athletes. The platform will include out-of-home, digital and social engagement, television, with broadcast integrations during the Games, in addition to in-store marketing. Empire is also an official partner in CBC's "Road to the Olympic Games" show.

For more information and to get involved with the "Feed The Dream", please visit www.FeedTheDream.ca.   

Media asset library can be found here.

ABOUT EMPIRE 
Empire Company Limited (TSX: EMP.A) is a Canadian company headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia. Empire's key businesses are food retailing, through wholly-owned subsidiary Sobeys Inc., and related real estate. With approximately $28.9 billion in annual sales and $16.0 billion in assets, Empire and its subsidiaries, franchisees and affiliates employ approximately 134,000 people.

ABOUT THE CANADIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE 
The Canadian Olympic Committee leads the achievement of Team Canada's podium success and advances Olympic values across Canada. Independent and predominantly privately funded, the COC delivers the resources that Canada's elite athletes need to perform at their best and give their everything every day. By sharing our athletes' stories, we inspire all Canadians through the power of sport: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. 

ABOUT THE CANADIAN PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE 
The Canadian Paralympic Committee is a non-profit, private organization with 27 member sports organizations dedicated to strengthening the Paralympic Movement. The Canadian Paralympic Committee's vision is to be the world's leading Paralympic nation. Its mission is to lead the development of a sustainable Paralympic sport system in Canada to enable athletes to reach the podium at the Paralympic Games. By supporting Canadian high performance athletes with a disability and promoting their success, the Canadian Paralympic Committee inspires all Canadians to get involved in sport. For more information, visit Paralympic.ca. 

SOURCE Empire Company Limited

Empire Media Contact: Karen White-Boswell, Director, External, Communications at Sobeys Inc., [email protected], [phone]; COC Media Contact: Josh Su, Program Manager, Public Relations, Canadian Olympic Committee, [email protected], [phone]; CPC Media Contact: Nicole Watts, Manager, Public Relations, Canadian Paralympic Committee, [email protected], [phone]