The first thing you see when you walk in the doors of the Prairie Gold offices is a series of colourful Free Footie jerseys. Johnson has been a proud sponsor of the program since its early days.

He was moved by hearing stories about kids in Edmonton who wanted to play one of the cheapest sports around, but weren’t able to.

That emphasis on building community is also why Ha decided, back in 2014, to become a sponsor for Free Footie. She sees parallels between the way her shop has created a network of like-minded customers from across the city, and the way Free Footie has done the same with underprivileged kids who dream of playing on a soccer team. “I really believe in what they’re doing,” she says. “And obviously there’s a need for it.”