Disneyland and Walt Disney World begin program of sharing surplus food with local food banks

With Disneyland and Walt Disney World closing its parks, shopping and dining districts, and soon the hotels, the company has begun to make good on the promise of donating surplus food to those in need in the communities they’re a part of.

Disney has released a short video of cast members packaging and delivering food to nonprofit food banks local to Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Lots of good stuff being loaded on those trucks, including Mickey Waffles. That should put a welcome smile on the faces of those looking down the barrel of food instability for weeks to come.

According to a statement from Walt Disney World, cast members from around the resort pitched in to help the Distribution Services team that overseas the Disney Harvest program where Disney regularly shares surplus food 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.”

A similar process has been underway since earlier in the weekend at Disneyland with food that might spoiler if not consumed being distributed to Second Harvest Food Bank and out to pantries and distribution sites throughout the community.

“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.”

Each year, the resorts donate over 1.2M meals to their local Second Harvest Food Bank as part of the ongoing food donation programs. Cast members also donate 10’s of thousands of hours through the Disney VoluntEARS program supporting location nonprofits like these food banks.

It’s good to see that Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort are continuing their ongoing commitment of reducing food waste, and unserved food from to support those in need within the local community even in this difficult time.

Previously: Deliveries of surplus food to local food banks announced by Walt Disney World and Disneyland.