Disneyland to donate excess food during coronavirus closure

As the novel coronavirus continues to spread around the U.S., Disneyland decided to shut down its parks as a precautionary measure. On Friday, the company announced its plans to donate all excess food from its resort while the park is closed.

In a blog post, External Communications Manager of Disneyland Resort Kyleigh Johnson announced that all excess food from Disneyland park and Disney California Adventure park will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County. She said the resort is committed to reducing food waste.

The company plans to donate excess dairy, fruit, vegetables, packaged goods and banquet meals to the food bank, which is working to end hunger in the Orange County area. 

Johnson said that Disneyland Resort has implemented a food donation program since 2014 to support the local community. The resort also has a food scraps division program to reduce food waste, which is a massive contributor to hurting the environment. 

According to Johnson, Disneyland Resort donated over 20,000 meals to Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County in 2019. 

Disney announced Thursday the closure of its parks in California, Florida and Paris and the suspension of cruise operations, despite no reported cases of COVID-19 at the parks or on the ships. They plan to remain closed through the end of the month. 

“We will monitor the ongoing situation and follow the advice and guidance of federal and state officials and health agencies,” the company said. “Disney will continue to pay cast members at this time.” 

Walt Disney’s Shanghai Disney Resort in China, Hong Kong Disney and Tokyo Disney have all closed due to the virus, which has infected more than 137,000 people and killed more than 5,000. On Friday, President Trump declared a national emergency due to the virus.