Concessions at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) have now donated more than 100,000lb of unsold food to local not-for-profit Philabundance.
A collaboration between hunger relief charity Philabundance and PHL Food & Shops has recently reached a milestone in donating more than 100,000 pounds of soon-to-expire food from airport concessions to local people in need. The joint effort between Philabundance and PHL merchants has resulted in 108,825lb of food and approximately 141,500 meals donated, as of March 2023.
Since 2019, PHL restaurants and merchants bring surplus food items daily to a central point in the airport, where affiliates of Philabundance collect them for distribution.
“We are proud and passionate about this food donation programme,” said Melwood Hannah, vice president and general manager of MarketPlace PHL. “As a family of merchants and concessionaires, helping to put food on the table for others and giving back to our community is always a top priority.”
Many of the donated items are ready-to-go meals, such as sandwiches and salads. The majority of these foods are approaching their “best by” dates. Philabundance has created guidelines to determine the number of days beyond an item’s “best by” date that the food is still wholesome.
"While Philabundance serves over 135,000 people each week, there are more than 600,000 people in our region, including children and seniors, who go to bed each night not knowing where their next meal is coming from – or if they'll have one at all," said Loree Jones Brown, chief executive officer of Philabundance, the largest hunger relief organisation in the Philadelphia region.”
Among the PHL Food & Shops contributors to Philabundance and MarketPlace PHL’s food donation initiative are Chickie’s & Pete’s, OTG, HMS Host, La Colombe, Chick-fil-A, Hudson News and more.
Image: Philabundance
