Ice cream fundraiser to assist youth charities

“You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream!”

Sobeys Inc. is combining Canadians’ summertime love for ice cream with a special fundraising campaign that also celebrates Canada’s 150th birthday.

The campaign, “Canada Screams for Ice Cream,” will take place June 24, during which customers can visit their local Sobeys, Safeway or IGA store in Western Canada and make a $2 donation in exchange for a tasty ice cream treat.

Money raised will go to help provide healthy meals and snacks for more than 100 local youth-based charities across Western Canada. Sobeys Inc. will match donations raised June 24 to a total of $100,000.

The event will also mark the launch of Sobeys Inc.’s Kids Paying-it-Forward program, which will provide 150 kids from participating charities each with a $500 gift card to donate to a community group that has helped their family, friends or neighbours. Through the initiative, $75,000 will be donated.

“Sobeys Inc. has deep roots in Western Canada, and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate our country’s 150th birthday than with a fun ice cream event for our customers that will directly benefit the communities we proudly serve,” Renée Hopfner, director, Community Investment, Sobeys Inc., said in a news release. “We also have a unique opportunity to invest in future generations through the Kids Paying-It-Forward program and empower local youth who are passionate about making better food possible.”

For more information about the Canada Screams for Ice Cream event or the Kids Payingit-Forward program, visit

sobeys.com, safeway.ca or west.iga.ca.