American Airlines has donated one million pounds of food since the start of the global crisis. The airline has partnered with Feeding America and other charity organizations to provide meals to those in need.
AA donates food to those in need
American Airlines has donated one million pounds of excess food from its operations to families in need across the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America– its core markets. Ron DeFeo, Senior Vice President of Global Engagement for American, stated the following in a release seen by Simple Flying:
"The current situation has left us with a surplus of food, and we are humbled to know that we were able to help put hundreds of thousands of meals on tables worldwide. The impacts of the pandemic are far reaching. We are a proud partner of Feeding America and will continue to work to reduce hunger in the communities we live and serve."
The donation came from American's food and beverage products from its inflight service and Admirals Club lounges starting from March. These include fresh produce, snack items, and beverages. The items went to food banks and food pantries across the world for distribution to communities in need.
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Specifics on the food donation
Feeding America, the largest organization in the United States focusing on hunger relief, has a network of over 200 food banks across the US. 750,000 pounds of food went to Feeding America member food banks. That equates to about 625,000 meals per the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines.
Also, American Airlines is taking mileage donations from its AAdvantage members from now through September 30th. Every mile donated will be given to Feeding America for up to 15 million miles. American Airlines has previously donated 10 million miles to St. Jude Children's Hospital.
September is Hunger Action Month, a month where Feeding America raises hunger awareness across the United States and works to end hunger for millions of people across the US. American Airlines is also joining up in that fight with volunteer events with Feeding America. AA's employees will take part across the airline's network to volunteer at Feeding America food banks nationwide.
Another major recipient of donations
Back in April, American Airlines partnered with the Let's Empower Employment (LEE) initiative to provide 25,000 miles for restaurant workers in Chicago and Washington DC.
Other major recipients of food donations include the Greater Chicago Food Depository, St. Mary's Food Bank in Phoenix, Equal Heart and Minnie's Food Pantry in Dallas, and the Tarrant Area Food Bank in Fort Worth, among others.
American Airlines has a lot of excess food due to the alteration and streamlining of meal services onboard its aircraft to pre-packaged food items, the closure of some lounges, and exclusive options like Flagship First Dining and fewer passengers visiting its lounges. Instead of letting the food go to waste, American is donating it to help people in need. The current crisis has exacerbated the hunger crisis in America, with more people facing economic distress leading to food insecurity. American's donation will certainly help those in need across the US.
As the crisis continues and American continues to operate a reduced schedule compared to 2019, expect more excess food items to be donated to organization across the world.
What do you make of American's food donation? Let us know in the comments!