Empire Family of Brands Fundraising for Special Olympics
From first goals to newfound confidence and lasting friendships, Special Olympics athletes across Canada are achieving incredible personal bests – and you can help get them there.
From June 11 to 21, 2026, you can say “YES” to making a donation while shopping at participating Empire Family of Brands stores including Safeway, Thrifty Foods, and IGA West Golden.
Every best is personal
Whether it’s on the field, in the gym, or building life skills through community, health, and leadership programs, your donation to Special Olympics Canada fuels more than sport. It fuels growth, belonging, and opportunity.
And this year, your impact goes even further.
Every donation made will be matched* by Empire Family of Brands, up to $500,000, amplifying the support for athletes from coast to coast.
Together with Empire Family of Brands, our goal is to raise over $1.5 million to support over 40,000 Special Olympics athletes in reaching their personal best – because when you support inclusion, everyone wins.
What Your Donation Supports
- Every $2 = one day of activities for a Special Olympics athlete.
- Donations fund sport training, competitions, health screenings, nutrition education, and leadership opportunities.
- Support reaches over 40,000 athletes in more than 365 communities across Canada.
Amplifying Your Impact
- From June 11 to 21, every donation will be matched* by Empire Family of Brands up to $500,000.
- That means your donation goes twice as far – helping twice as many Special Olympics athletes.
*100% of the funds raised will be donated to Special Olympics Canada, with no administrative fees deducted by Empire Company Limited. No tax receipts will be issued for donations made during this period. Empire Company Limited will match in-store donations up to a total of $500,000 from June 11 to 21, 2026. For more information, please visit: www.specialolympics.ca/Empire
Meet Maire, Empire Athlete Ambassador
At 11 years old, Maire is already a busy young athlete, participating in FUNdamentals, gymnastics, swimming, and soccer with Special Olympics BC.
Her favourite part about being a Special Olympics athlete? “Swimming at the pool!”
Meet Sebastian, Empire Teammate Ambassador
Golden’s Sebastian Gylander is a Special Olympics World Games medallist in cross country skiing, and a Special Olympics Team BC 2026 athlete in swimming. He’s also a dedicated employee at IGA in Golden, where he has worked as a shelf stocker for the past two and a half years.
Feeding Personal Bests: Health & Nutrition Education
In addition to supporting Special Olympics through funding and food, Empire Family of Brands is deeply committed to helping athletes build healthy habits for life.
Through a shared vision of wellness and inclusion, Empire Family of Brands and Special Olympics Canada have created accessible, athlete-friendly resources that promote nutrition education for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the country.
In 2025, Empire Family of Brands and Special Olympics Canada launched a new SOLearn Athlete Nutrition Course!
Free and easy to follow Designed for all ages and abilities Packed with tips on healthy eating, hydration & sport fuelingAbout the Partnership
Empire Family of Brands is committed to building meaningful emotional connections with Canadians, by being strong partners in the community.
Since 2016, Empire Family of Brands 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 Family of Brands employees and customers have contributed more than $15 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.
Safeway and Thrifty Foods are dedicated to helping Special Olympics athletes improve their health by providing healthy food and nutrition education, leading to both better performance and healthier lives. In addition, many Safeway and Thrifty Foods employees volunteer at Games and other Special Olympics events.
In B.C., funding from Safeway and Thrifty Foods goes directly to grassroots Special Olympics BC programs around the province, and also supports Provincial Games and a wide range of provincial programs, events, and development opportunities that benefit athletes and volunteers throughout the Special Olympics BC community.