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Leftover Onboard Snacks Are Feeding the Hungry
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Alaska Airlines Donates Thousands of Pounds of Food
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12/15/2008 3:22 p.m.
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Many people donate extra items to their local food bank during the holiday season to help those in their community who might otherwise go hungry. Throughout 2008, Alaska Airlines has donated thousands of pounds of "recovered" food to worthy organizations.
Alaska's Portland station, in cooperation with its catering contractor, LSG Sky Chefs, has donated 18,843 pounds of food to the Oregon Food Bank, said Liberty Straney, the nonprofit's spokeswoman. Oregon Food Bank distributes food through a network of 20 regional food banks and 915 agencies in Oregon and Clark County, Wash.
In Seattle, Alaska has donated 61,650 pounds of food to Tukwila Pantry, a local nonprofit that provides food assistance and other human services to low-income people in the communities surrounding Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Last summer, Tukwila Pantry used the snacks to send weekend meals home with students. "Backpacks Against Hunger" provided 75 youngsters with two days worth of meals during each weekend over the summer break, Director Joe Tice said. During the school year, the snacks are given to families who come to the food bank.
The donated food is collected from snack baskets offered to first class passengers and meals provided for flight attendants where the outside packaging has been opened but the contents have not, said Kirsten Robinett, product manager of onboard food and beverage service. The snacks include a rotating selection of such items as almond butter, dried fruit, salami, cheese spread, crackers, cookies, energy bars, salmon jerky and hummus. Many of the snacks are healthy and none contain trans fats or MSG, Robinett said.
The donations started last January, when the first class snack baskets were introduced. "We saw quite a few inbound snacks that were unopened and we didn't want to toss them," she said.
The snacks come in a packing tray that can serve six first class passengers. A Chicago vendor assembles the trays, so it would be impractical and costly to repackage the snacks into a new tray — and they would otherwise go to waste, Robinett said. Not only do these "shelf-stable" snacks benefit people who need them, the donations are environmentally friendly because food is kept out of the waste stream, she added.
The food has been especially welcome this year as costs have gone up more than 50 percent at the same time Tukwila Pantry has seen a 10 percent increase in people seeking assistance, Tice said.
"The donations make a hefty impact," Tice said. "We aim to send each student home with enough food for a 3,000 calorie-a-day health-perfect diet. We're able to combine things such as tuna, rice pilaf and fruit to make a really well-rounded meal."
How to help
Tukwila Pantry
The Tukwila Pantry has served 2,277 households from the Tukwila, Burien, SeaTac and Boulevard Park areas so far this year.
Besides the "Backpacks Against Hunger" program, the pantry operates a congregate meal program. Tuesday's Table serves approximately 110 hot meals to families and individuals every Tuesday from 5:30 p.m.-6:15 p.m.
The pantry welcomes donations and volunteers. For more information contact Joe Tice at J040959@msn.com
Address: 3118 South 140th Street, Tukwila, WA 98168
Phone: (206) 431-8293
Oregon Food Bank
The Oregon Food Bank distributes food to more than 340 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other programs throughout the state.
Food donations may be brought to one of Oregon Food Bank's two warehouses in the Portland area :
Oregon Food Bank (Northeast Portland facility)
7900 NE 33rd Ave., Portland
(503) 282-0555
8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays
Oregon Food Bank-Washington County Services (Hillsboro facility)
21485 N.W. Mauzey Road, Hillsboro
(503) 439-6510
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Food can also be dropped off at Go Wireless Stores, Grocery Outlet stores and other participating retailers in Portland.
For more information, visit www.oregonfoodbank.org
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