Photos by Jeff Vinnick
It wasn’t a stereotypical airport sight: a caravan of more than 50 shopping carts piled high with food donations weaving its way through the terminal. But, on February 22, YVR swapped baggage carts for shopping carts as the Airport Authority launched a two-year partnership with Quest Food Exchange with a $100,000 donation.
YVR employees clad in green jackets rallied the 23,000 people who work on Sea Island to support Quest. Already Hudson Group, HMS Host, Paradies Shops and Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel are contributing food and other items.
We heard about Quest Food Exchange from our very own Green Team – a group of passionate employees tasked with finding new and unique ways to reduce our impact on the environment – and immediately saw synergies with the focus on social, economic and environmental sustainability here at YVR.
Quest rescues food from wholesalers and businesses that is near expiry and would otherwise go to waste, and repackages to feed individuals and families in need across the Lower Mainland.
As the Official Transportation Sponsor, the Airport Authority will help Quest purchase a second refrigerated truck for their fleet, thereby enabling the organization to achieve its two-year target to collect a whopping $9.2 million worth of food – which translates to 3,234 tonnes of waste diverted from the landfill!
Watch our short video from the launch announcement or check out the Quest Food Exchange webpage for more information.