Disney Resorts Donating Surplus Food to Help Local Communities

Disney Resorts donating surplus food to help local communities is just another way that Disney demonstrates that the magic of Disney goes well beyond the Parks. The happiest place on Earth and the most magical place on Earth are both doing their parts to help others during the coronavirus crisis. Disney has always been on the forefront of giving back to the community and now with Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts making the unprecedented moves to temporarily close down all of its theme parks to focus on the well-being of employees and guests, and now more than ever it was very important to them to make some extra magic for those around them during these stressful times by giving back to others. Disney Resorts donating surplus food are not new but part of Disney’s ongoing commitment to demonstrate that the local communities around them are all a part of their family and families support one another in the good times, and especially in the more trying times.

Here’s a closer look at what is involved with these acts which help to showcase that with Disney Resorts donating surplus foods to local communities, that Disney is invested in those around them.

The Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resorts have announced they will be donating excess food inventory, like fresh salads, greens and expertly cooked hot items to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

Since 1991, the Disney Harvest program has collected excess and unserved food from their locations and delivered it to feeding programs all across Central Florida.

The program collects and distributes more than 823,000 pounds of prepared, unserved food annually and supports Second Harvest’s work by serving more than 40 Orlando-area nonprofits.

In the last year alone, these donations provided 1 million meals to people in need.

“Second Harvest Food Bank is known for their vital work addressing critical food needs in Central Florida, and we know the important role we play in helping to bring meaningful solutions to our community in times of great need,” said Tajiana Ancora-Brown, Director of External Affairs at Walt Disney World Resort.

The Disneyland Resort has an ongoing commitment to reducing food waste, and during the temporary closure of Disneyland park and Disney California Adventure park will be donating excess food inventory to Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County.

While closely following food safety guidelines, excess inventory of dairy, fruit, vegetables, packaged goods and banquet meals is being donated to Second Harvest Food Bank, whose mission is to end hunger in Orange County.

Since 2014, the Disneyland Resort has operated a food donation program through which prepared, unserved food from select locations is regularly donated to support those in need within the local community. This program is in addition to the food scraps diversion program, which also supports our environmental efforts in reducing food waste.

Last year, the Disneyland Resort donated over 20,000 meals to Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County through the food donation program, and Disney VoluntEARS regularly volunteer there, supporting the mission of ending hunger.

Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort started donations of surplus food to help the local communities they call home during our temporary closures.

Since making the important decisions to close Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts through the end of the month, their focus has been on the well-being of our cast members, guests, families – and of course, local communities.

Today, Walt Disney World Resort cast members joined the Distribution Services team that oversees collection and delivery of donations to help the community and share surplus food inventory like fresh salads, greens and expertly cooked hot items with the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

“These donations would not be possible without the dedication of cast members behind the scenes who collect, sort and distribute every item to ensure it’s delivered with the highest level of freshness, keeping food safety top of mind,” said Tajiana Ancora-Brown, director, External Affairs at Walt Disney World Resort. “We feel an immense sense of pride and excitement every time we see the Disney Harvest truck making deliveries in the community, and we’re so grateful for the team that makes these donations happen.”

At Disneyland Resort, food donations actually started over the weekend.  While closely following safety guidelines, excess inventory of dairy, fruit, vegetables, packaged goods and banquet meals were shared with Second Harvest Food Bank to be quickly moved out to pantries and food distribution sites throughout Orange County.

“We are deeply grateful to Disneyland Resort for their generous donation of food,” said Harald Herrmann, CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County. “Donations of food, especially shelf-stable food, will be critical in the days and weeks ahead to serve those in our community impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.”

Both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort have an ongoing commitment to reducing food waste, and unserved food from select locations is regularly donated to support those in need within the local community.   Each year, the resorts donate over 1.2M meals to their local Second Harvest Food Bank as part of the ongoing food donation programs.

Disney’s support of Second Harvest Food Bank doesn’t stop there – their longstanding support includes monetary donations and Disney VoluntEARS efforts, where cast members donate their time to collect, sort and distribute food donations.

During these trying times, it is this extra little bit of magic of Disney Resorts donating surplus foods to local communities that help to showcase just what real magic is all about.