Air Canada and Air Canada Foundation Work with Second Harvest to Redistribute Onboard Fresh Food Items to Canadians in Need

• Over 2,330 kg of fresh food from 7 cities across Canada redistributed to date
• Includes fresh veggies, salads, sandwich wraps, muffins, milk, with more to be distributed

MONTREAL, March 26, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada and the Air Canada Foundation are working with Canadian food rescue organization Second Harvest's FoodRescue.ca to redistribute fresh food items from Air Canada's in-flight kitchens as the airline begins suspending the majority of its international and U.S. transborder flights as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.

"While so many of us are staying home during these extraordinary times, we also remain united in taking care of each other. These difficult moments remind us of the importance of continuing to support our communities and help Canadian families in need.  Since we work with catering facilities across Canada, the network that Second Harvest offers through their national FoodRescue.ca platform enables us collectively to get these ready-to-eat food items to those who need it most as quickly as possible. To date, we have redistributed 2,330 kg of fresh veggies, salads, sandwich wraps, muffins and milk, and there will be more to distribute in the coming days," said Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources and Communications Officer at Air Canada.

"We are grateful to Air Canada for taking a leadership role in national food rescue efforts and to the Air Canada Foundation for continuing its tradition of community support," says Lori Nikkel, CEO of Second Harvest. "FoodRescue.ca is a safe food donation platform for both donors and non-profits because it leverages the good health and business practices already in place, so we can make the food recovery process more efficient even before a single donation happens."

About Second Harvest:

Second Harvest is the largest food rescue organization in Canada, working across the supply chain from farm to retail to capture surplus food before it ends up in the landfill. With the escalating global pandemic, Second Harvest, a global thought leader in food recovery and redistribution, has developed the Food Rescue Canadian Alliance that brings together government, non-profit and private sectors to ensure food reaches the most vulnerable members of our communities from coast to coast. Visit foodrescue.ca to learn more.

About the Air Canada Foundation

The Air Canada Foundation, a not-for-profit organization focused on the health and well-being of children and youth, was launched in 2012. It offers both financial and in-kind support to Canadian registered charities. Core programs include the Hospital Transportation Program, which donates Aeroplan Miles to 15 pediatric hospitals across Canada, enabling sick children to access the medical care they need but which are unavailable locally. The Air Canada Foundation, in collaboration with the airline, also engages directly in fundraising activities, such as the Every Bit Counts program, which encourages Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge customers to donate loose change of all denominations aboard flights or through collection containers available in Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges. The Foundation also offers continued support to major health-related causes that benefit Canadians and is an active participant in international humanitarian relief activity as the need arises. For more information about the Air Canada Foundation, please visit aircanada.com/foundation or the 2018 Corporate Sustainability Report, Citizens of the World, online at aircanada.com/citizensoftheworld.

About Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving nearly 220 airports on six continents. Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2019 served over 51 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 62 airports in Canada, 53 in the United States and 101 in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,250 airports in 195 countries. Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax, which also named Air Canada the 2019 Best Airline in North America. For more information, please visit: aircanada.com/media, follow @AirCanada on Twitter and join Air Canada on Facebook.                                      

Internet: aircanada.com/media

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