Over the past six years, Family of Support has helped children’s hospitals across Canada treat and assess almost 300,000 children and youth. Recently, Empire Company Limited built on that impact as the Family of Support initiative returned for its seventh annual fundraising campaign, creating circles of support for child and youth mental health across Canada.
In partnership with The Sobey Foundation and Canada’s Children’s Hospital Foundations (CCHF), the initiative continues to invest in and raise awareness for early intervention and crisis prevention programs through local children’s hospital foundations.
Family of Support has helped children’s hospitals across Canada treat and assess almost 300,000 kids in its first six years. Since 2020, the initiative has enabled Canada’s 13 children’s hospitals cumulatively to add and enhance close to 140 treatment spaces, train nearly 22,000 professionals and care providers, perform over 146,000 assessments and serve nearly 150,000 children and youth.
Up until this year, Empire Family of Brands and The Sobey Foundation have raised and donated more than $25.2 million in funds and in-kind support with 100% of funds raised go directly to local early intervention programs, helping expand access to mental health support for families in communities across the country.
Empire said it remains dedicated to helping families across Canada access the mental health support they need through their local children’s hospitals. These early intervention programs are part of a broader effort that Empire said it is proud to champion, ensuring national resources are translated into solutions tailored to the unique needs of each community. Through Empire Family of Brands, including Sobeys, Safeway, Foodland and FreshCo, the organization continues to be a trusted presence in communities across Canada, raising awareness and helping connect families with mental health support.
In an interview with Retail Insider, Renée Hopfner, Head of Corporate Citizenship at Empire Company Limited, spoke about the initiative and its impact.
What have you learned over the past seven years about the importance of early interventions for kids’ mental health needs of children and youth in the communities served by Empire’s stores?
One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned is timing matters. When children and youth receive support early, it can fundamentally change the trajectory of their mental health journey. Early intervention can help identify challenges before they escalate into crises, giving young people and their families access to the tools, coping strategies, and support they need sooner.
Mental health challenges also affect families in every community across Canada, and that’s why investing in locally relevant programs is so important. It not only improves outcomes for children and youth, but it also helps families feel supported and strengthens the overall system’s ability to respond to growing demand.
How do the 13 children’s hospital foundations determine where the Family of Support funding is directed? What areas of focus does Family of Support fund?
One of the strengths of Family of Support is that funding stays local. Each of Canada’s 13 children’s hospital foundations works closely with community agencies, clinicians, researchers, and families in their region to identify the greatest needs and opportunities for impact.
While priorities may vary from community to community, Family of Support investments are focused on expanding access to early intervention, building system capacity, advancing research, supporting crisis prevention, and developing evidence-informed programs. Funding has helped hospitals create and enhance treatment spaces, train care providers, improve access to assessments, and develop programs that connect children and youth with support earlier.
The initiative has helped hospitals treat and assess almost 300,000 children and youth and has supported nearly 22,000 professionals and care providers — what impact or outcome from the program stands out to you most?
The numbers are certainly remarkable, but what stands out most to me is what they represent. Behind every assessment, every treatment space, and every trained care provider is a child or family who was able to access support when they needed it.
If I had to highlight one outcome, it would be the expansion of early intervention. More than 146,000 assessments have been completed through programs supported by Family of Support. For many children and youth, that assessment is the first step toward understanding what’s happening, finding the right support, and beginning a path toward better mental health. Knowing that thousands more families have been able to access help earlier is incredibly meaningful.
What role do Empire’s stores and teammates play in connecting customers with the campaign, and how important is the company’s extensive retail network to the fundraising effort?
Our stores and teammates are truly at the heart of Family of Support. They help bring the campaign to life by engaging customers, sharing why child and youth mental health matters, and inviting Canadians to be part of the initiative.
Because we serve communities across the country, our retail network gives us a unique ability to raise both funds and awareness at a national scale while still supporting local children’s hospitals. Every donation made at checkout stays in the community where it was raised, so customers know they’re helping children and families close to home. The passion and commitment of our teammates is a big reason why Family of Support has been able to make such a meaningful impact over the past seven years.
Over the first six years, Family of Support touched nearly 300,000 children and youth across Canada. Beyond the numbers, what stories or moments have stayed with you most? And for readers who want to support the initiative or learn more, how can they get involved?
While we’re incredibly proud of the numbers, what stays with me are the stories behind them. Hearing from youth ambassadors and families who have navigated mental health challenges reminds us why this work matters. Their experiences remind all of us of why receiving support at the right time can make a meaningful difference in a young person’s life.
Those stories are also helping to spark important conversations. Whether it’s through podcast interviews with shows like The Mom Room or SPARK Conversations Podcast through Children’s Healthcare Canada, we’re creating opportunities for families, caregivers and youth to hear from others who have walked similar paths and to know they are not alone.
Most importantly, I encourage Canadians to learn more, hear the stories of impact, and find ways to support their local children’s hospital by visiting FamilyofSupport.com. Every conversation, every donation, and every act of support helps strengthen access to mental health care for children and youth across Canada.
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