Austin International Airport Reducing Food Waste with Keep Austin Fed Partnership

There are hundreds of hungry bellies funneling in and out of the Austin Airport at any given moment, but that doesn’t mean that a lot of food inside the terminals doesn’t go to waste. Beginning on March 1st, the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport joined forces with Keep Austin Fed to send unsold foods from the airport to those going hungry in the Austin area. KXAN reports that “in the first month, 3,500 unsold food products like sandwiches and salads were donated to those in need.”

Jennifer Watson, a manager with airport food and store operator Paradies Lagardere, told KVUE, “Taking only a few moments out of our daily routine, we’re able to provide much needed meals and food products to very worthy local groups that assist in providing meals to Austin area residents in need.” During the week, fresh food is collected from a designated refrigerator and taken to elderly housing unit Rebekah Baines Johnson Center or the affordable hosting provider Foundation Communities.

The program director of Keep Austin Fed, Lisa Barden, says that with hot summer months approaching many people in Austin will have to choose between staying cool by running their air conditioning or having a meal. Delivering food from places where it would be thrown away otherwise makes perfect sense.