Starting Monday, May 22, the PDX food donation program in partnership with Urban Gleaners returns. If you work at an airport restaurant or shop that offers prepackaged food, you can join the effort to help feed the Portland area. 

Before being discontinued in 2020 due to the pandemic, the program helped increase the airport's sustainability by decreasing food waste. But what's most important is that it gave back to the community we serve.

When the program restarts, Urban Gleaners will visit PDX twice weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays to retrieve donated food from the locked donation fridges. They'll then distribute the donations to local nonprofits, food kitchens and low-income schools. 

If you work at a participating business, make sure your teammates know they can help by setting aside recently expired or unused food for donation. Suitable items include prepackaged foods, pastries, bread, dairy products (up to seven days after expiration date), chips, granola bars, fruit, soda and juice. Your team should designate an employee who has a key to take food products to the donation fridges where items will be logged and weighed. And, just like that, you'll help fight hunger and make a difference!

Run a PDX business and want to participate? Managers can contact the Waste Minimization team.