Food manufacturer helps renovate ice rinks

Toronto – A food manufacturer is helping to restore and renovate local rinks in communities across Canada.

Mars Canada Inc., a division of Mars Incorporated, has partnered with Hockey Canada and has launched the Play Your Part campaign.

The campaign calls on all Canadians from coast to coast to help community rinks in need.

It all began in 2011 when Mars teamed up with the community of Grand Manan in New Brunswick to complete the building of a much-needed heated mezzanine at the Grand Manan Community Centre.

Through that experience the company realized that there were many other communities in need, whose arenas and rinks are in disrepair.

“Canadians are known for their love of winter sports, particularly those that involve skates and an ice rink…,” says Aziz Shariff, marketing manager, Mars Canada Inc.

“By contributing to the improvement of local rinks that impact so many lives, the makers of Mars are committed to making a difference in these communities while empowering Canadians to do the same in a positive way.”

How the promotion works

As part of the Play Your Part promotion, consumers purchase a specially marked Mars bar and enter the PIN code found inside the wrapper at www.marsbar.ca.

By entering the PIN, consumers activate a Cdn$5 Mars Canada Inc. contribution toward participating community rinks in need of renovations. Activating a PIN will also give consumers the chance to win an instant-win prize.

With the help of Hockey Canada – the governing body for hockey in Canada and a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation – the Mars brand team identified five local community rinks and arenas from across the country whose individual stories are featured on the website.

The five rinks include:
• Mission Leisure Centre in Mission, B.C.
• Loreburn Recreation in Loreburn, Sask.
• Western Fair Sports Centre in London, Ont.
• Jean-Charles-Perreault Arena in Warwick, Que.
• Marsh Lake Community Centre in Marsh Lake, Yukon

Each rink will benefit from a minimum Mars Canada Inc. contribution of Cdn$5,000 and could receive up to a maximum of Cdn$20,000 towards hockey related improvements and renovations that will have an impact on their community.

Ice rink survey

A recent national survey, conducted by Leger Marketing and commissioned by the Mars, revealed the following key findings:

• While more than 90 per cent of Canadians live near an ice rink, and value the positive impact a rink has on a community, most are surprisingly unaware of the current physical state of their facilities.
• Over three quarters of the Canadian population consider funding to be a primary factor in whether or not their rinks are well-maintained.
• Interestingly enough, despite this, Canadians still want to make a difference and try to by seeking out the support of corporate brands or by making their own personal monetary contributions.