Seven NHL® players are taking to social media today to inspire Canadians to perform Acts of Neighbourly Kindness as they join Kruger Products’ ongoing, national #RollingItForward COVID-19 relief initiative. The players, including Vancouver Canucks’ forward Bo Horvat, Montreal Canadiens’ forward Phillip Danault, Toronto Maple Leafs’ defenceman Tyson Barrie, Edmonton Oilers’ defenceman Darnell Nurse, Ottawa Senators’ forward Anthony Duclair, Winnipeg Jets’ forward Mark Scheifele and Calgary Flames’ forward Milan Lucic, are all making donations to Food Banks Canada while encouraging Canadian hockey fans to participate.
“Hockey is Canada’s national winter sport, and NHL® players rank at the top of their game and high in our hearts,” says Susan Irving, Chief Marketing Officer at Kruger Products, a 100-year, third generation Canadian company with operations across the country.
“We started #RollingItForward three weeks ago delivering care packages of tissue products to frontline hospital workers in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver; and by making donations to food banks across Canada,” says Irving. “We hope our collaboration with NHL® players will further inspire Canadians to do their part with an Act of Neighbourly Kindness, no matter how large or small,” she says.
“We’re grateful for the support of Kruger Products and the support of these NHL® players,” adds Chris Hatch, Food Banks Canada CEO. “It has been incredible to see Canadians from coast-to-coast come together to help their neighbours who are experiencing hunger,” he says.
#RollingItForward for the Win
“Helping out can be as easy as buying a gift card to your favourite local restaurant,” says Tyson Barrie, Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman, who encouraged Canadians to do what they can, citing that even small things go a long way.
“In my case, I love taking my dog, Gus, out for walks, and #RollingItForward is as simple as asking my neighbour if their dog would like to join,” says Bo Horvat, Vancouver Canucks captain, who’s encouraging his friends and followers to participate in acts of community generosity as well.
“There is always something meaningful you can do for others in this acute time of need,” says Montreal Canadiens forward Phillip Danault, who encouraged his followers to lend a helping hand by picking up some extra groceries for a neighbour.
Several Canadian TV personalities, including TSN’s James Duthie and Darren Dreger, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, TVA’s Louis Jean and Dave Morissette, RDS’s Marc Denis and Hockey Night in Canada’s Cassie Campbell-Pascall will echo the hockey players’ challenge for Canadians to take part in #RollingItForward on their respective channels.
From the Sideline to the Frontline
On the frontline, Canada’s incredible healthcare heroes are committed to helping and healing their communities. Kruger Products is recognizing their outstanding effort with a $200,000 donation to The Frontline Fund, a network of more than 160 hospital foundations across Canada created to deliver resources to frontline healthcare workers protecting Canadians against COVID-19, as part of its #RollingItForward initiative.
“Hospitals and Canadians from coast-to-coast are grateful for generous donors like Kruger Products,” says Trillium Health Partners Foundation President and CEO Caroline Riseboro, who is the national spokesperson for The Frontline Fund. “Their donation will be put to essential use, including PPE such as masks, ventilators and disinfectants; mental health support and counselling; and research including clinical trials and vaccine development,” she adds.
Canadians can contribute to the fund at FrontlineFund.ca.
About Kruger Products L.P.
Kruger Products is Canada’s leading manufacturer of quality tissue products for household, industrial and commercial use. Kruger Products serves the Canadian consumer market with well-known brands such as Cashmere®, Purex®, SpongeTowels® and Scotties®. A Greater Toronto Area Top Employer for the past eight years, Kruger Products has approximately 2,500 employees and was once again named one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies in 2020. The Company operates eight FSC® COC-certified (FSC® C-104904) production facilities in North America. For more information, visit www.krugerproducts.ca.
About the NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL®), founded in 1917, consists of 31 Member Clubs and proudly welcomes its 32nd franchise, based in Seattle, for the 2021-22 season. Each team roster reflects the League’s international makeup with players from more than 20 countries represented, all vying for the most cherished and historic trophy in professional sports – the Stanley Cup®. Gary Bettman has served the NHL as Commissioner since February 1, 1993 and has guided the world’s top professional hockey league to more than $5 billion in annual revenues and partnerships with more than 40 blue chip corporate sponsors. Every year, the NHL entertains more than 670 million fans in-arena and through its partners on national television and radio; more than 151 million followers – league, team and player accounts combined – across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube; and more than 100 million fans online at NHL.com. The League broadcasts games in more than 160 countries and territories through its rightsholders including NBC/NBCSN and the NHL Network™ in the U.S., Sportsnet and TVA in Canada, Viasat in the Nordic Region, Yandex in Russia and CCTV and Tencent in China. The NHL reaches fans worldwide with games available online in every country including via its live and on-demand streaming service NHL.TV™. Having entered the esports world in 2018, the League hosts the NHL Gaming World Championship™ annually, drawing record digital streaming audiences during the 2019 campaign. Fans are engaged across the League’s digital assets on mobile devices via the free NHL® App; across nine social media platforms; on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio™; and on NHL.com, available in eight languages and featuring unprecedented access to player and team statistics as well as every regular-season and playoff game box score dating back to the League’s inception, powered by SAP. The NHL is committed to building healthy and vibrant communities through the sport of hockey by increasing youth participation and engagement; fostering positive family experiences; promoting inclusion, positive culture and leadership; and supporting sustainable community impact.
NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. NHL and NHL team marks are the property of the NHL and its teams. © NHL 2020. All Rights Reserved.
About the NHLPA
The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), established in 1967, is a labour organization whose members are the players in the National Hockey League (NHL). The NHLPA works on behalf of the players in varied disciplines such as labour relations, product licensing, marketing, and international hockey and community relations, all in furtherance of its efforts to promote its members and the game of hockey. In 1999, NHLPA Goals & Dreams was launched as a way for the players to give something back to the game they love. Over the past 20 years, more than 80,000 deserving children in 34 countries have benefited from the players’ donations of hockey equipment. NHLPA Goals & Dreams has donated more than $25 million to grassroots hockey programs, making it the largest program of its kind. For more information on the NHLPA, please visit www.nhlpa.com.
About Food Banks Canada
Food Banks Canada provides national leadership to relieve hunger today and prevent hunger tomorrow in collaboration with the food bank network from coast-to-coast-to-coast. For 40 years, food banks have been dedicated to helping Canadians living with food insecurity. Over 3,000 food banks and community agencies come together to serve our most vulnerable neighbours who last year – made 1.1 million visits to these organizations in one month alone, according to our Hunger Count report. Over the past 10 years, as a system, we have sourced and shared over 1.4 billion pounds of food and Food Banks Canada shared over $90 million in funding to help maximize collective impact and strengthen local capacity – while advocating for reducing the need for food banks. Our vision is clear: create a Canada where no one goes hungry. Visit www.foodbankscanada.ca to learn more.
About The Frontline Fund
The Frontline Fund was created by leaders in the healthcare fundraising sector who formed a national coalition to help leading Canadian hospitals and foundations raise urgently needed funds to support the highest priority needs of participating hospital foundations, including to support COVID-19 and support for the Northern Territories and Indigenous health. The goal is to provide Canadians with an easy, streamlined way to support hospitals in the form of financial assistance. The hope of this national collaborative effort is to raise awareness for this urgent need and to provide an easy, one-stop solution for Canadian individuals and businesses who want to help. To learn more, visit FrontlineFund.ca.
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