Jim Pattison Group Inc.

04/28/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/28/2021 13:02

MORE REWARDS ANNOUNCES FUELING SPORT PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SAVE-ON-FOODS COMMITTING $10,000,000 OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS TO FUEL LOCAL SPORT

April 28, 2021 (LANGLEY, B.C.) - More Rewards is proud to partner with Save-On-Foods on Fueling Sport, a program designed to reward athletes at every level by fueling their journey from playground to podium with sponsorship, fundraising and cost-saving opportunities. Over the next five years, Fueling Sport will provide more than 500 amateur high-performance athletes and 150,000 community-level youth athletes from British Columbia to Manitoba with $10 million dollars in much-needed support.

'An athlete's journey from their hometown field to the top of the podium is often incredibly challenging,' said More Rewards president Dan Howe. 'Between the cost to compete, the time and sacrifice away from home, friends and family, and the daily grind from weight room to field of play - our Canadian athletes are tireless in their pursuit. We are thrilled to say that from today forward, we are making a meaningful impact to fuel their journeys and reward their efforts with free and discounted groceries from Save-On-Foods for an entire year.'

Several remarkable elite amateur athletes have already been selected to join the Fueling Sport program. Over the next four weeks, aspiring athletes across Western Canada will also be given the opportunity to apply to join this core group and receive critical financial support from More Rewards.

'Today is just the beginning,' continued Howe. 'We will be welcoming hundreds more aspiring athletes from senior club and provincial levels to national team members to the More Rewards family with the nutrition they need to reach their goals in sport and beyond. The impact of this program on communities is vast. Not only will More Rewards and Save-On-Foods build relationships with high-performance athletes, we will be providing significant savings, fundraising opportunities and support to parents, coaches and volunteers of youth sport programs.'

'We're proud to partner with More Rewards in the Fueling Sport program to provide the quality food athletes need, whether they're learning to kick a ball for the first time, or have their sights set on the ultimate podium,' added Darrell Jones, president of Save-On-Foods.

The grassroots community support Fueling Sport provides will help busy sport families, coaches and volunteers save on nutritious team snacks, food on the go, year-end team celebrations and fundraising.

'Being part of a program that will support over 150,000 young kids just starting out in the game means so much to me,' said Fueling Sport athlete ambassador Desiree Scott, women's national soccer team member and two- time Olympic bronze medallist. 'There are so many young athletes from my hometown who will benefit from this amazing initiative. To have More Rewards in my corner as I train for my next big milestone this summer will make a huge difference. Being a female athlete comes with its own unique struggles and often we rely heavily on finding sponsorships/support opportunities like this to help offset costs of training at the highest level. Support like this goes such a long way.'

More Rewards is now accepting applications for sponsorship from athletes located in Western Canada (including British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Yukon) until May 28, 2021 at FuelingSport.ca. With spaces available for athletes at every level of the journey - including senior club, university, development team or senior national team - More Rewards invites you to join the likes of these leaders in sport:

Desiree Scott, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Desiree Scott serves as the captain of the national women's soccer team. She is one of the longest serving veterans of the squad, having competed at multiple FIFA Women's World Cups, earning a gold medal at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, and Olympic bronze medals at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Games.

Brigette Lacquette, Dauphin, Manitoba / Cote First Nation, Saskatchewan
Brigitte Lacquette is one of Canada's 2018 Olympic silver medal-winning women's hockey players, and the first First Nations woman to play for the Canadian women's hockey team. She is currently vying for a spot on the roster to compete at the Women's World Cup set to be staged in Nova Scotia in 2021, and the upcoming Beijing 2022 Olympic Games.

Marsha Sweeney (Hudey), White City, Saskatchewan
Marsha Sweeney is a two-time Olympic long track speed skater from Saskatchewan who now lives and trains in Calgary. Hailing from a family of speed skaters including her father, two brothers and sister, Sweeney has been training to compete on the world stage in the 500m event for over 15 years.

Zak Madell, Okotoks, Alberta
Zak Madell has competed for Canada at two Paralympic Games, winning silver in 2012 with the wheelchair rugby team. He came out of retirement to return to the squad in support of their bid for the podium this summer in Tokyo.

Tristan Walker, Calgary, Alberta
Doubles luge star Tristan Walker has been competing in this high-speed sport since the age of nine! Having amassed a wealth of medals at the World Championships (2013, 2015, 2016), he's a three-time Olympian and 2018 Olympic medallist currently training for Beijing 2022 full-time in Calgary.

Alysia Rissling, Edmonton, Alberta
Alysia Rissling came into the sport of bobsleigh well into her twenties after a successful university career in varsity basketball. She holds the distinction of being the pilot for the first all-woman team in an official four-man bobsleigh race since the event became gender neutral in 2015. This 2018 Olympian is on the podium hunt with big goals this coming winter in Beijing.

Markus Thormeyer, Delta, British Columbia
National team swimmer Markus Thormeyer specializes in backstroke and freestyle and has broken Canadian records and world junior records over the course of his career. The 2016 Olympian secured his ticket to Tokyo and can't wait to represent Canada again this summer.

Avalon Wasteneys, Campbell River, British Columbia
A rising star in the rowing world, Avalon Wasteneys' journey to rowing from her first love of cross-country skiing was not a straight path. Hailing from a family of high-performance rowers, she finally gave it a try in university and has been on the fast track to the world stage ever since. Wasteneys is training to earn a spot on the national team in Tokyo this summer with high hopes of a podium finish.

ABOUT MORE REWARDS
More Rewards is one of Western Canada's favourite loyalty programs for more than 28 years with more than 3.5 million active members. More Rewards provides customers the opportunity to easily earn points on everyday purchases and then redeem those points for things such as free local travel, groceries, gift cards and more. With the More Rewards card, you can earn points during almost every grocery shop at Save-On-Foods, PriceSmart Foods and Urban Fare, in addition to hundreds of More Rewards partner locations such as Panago Pizza, Jim Pattison Auto Group, Speedy Glass, and more. MoreRewards.ca

ABOUT SAVE-ON-FOODS
Save-On-Foods is committed to Going the Extra Mile for customers in every community served, every day. Known for its unique approach in customizing each store to best suit the needs of the neighbourhood by carrying more than 2,500 locally-made products from more than 2,000 local growers and producers, the company has been innovating and putting customers first for over 100 years. Save-On-Foods, its supplier partners, team members and generous customers have donated more than $40 million to children's hospitals and contributes $3 million in donations to food banks across Western Canada each year. SaveOnFoods.com

For more information, contact:
Media Relations
(604) 888-2079, extension 2200
[email protected]