We know the important role we play in helping to bring meaningful solutions to our community in times of great need
– Tajiana Ancora-Brown, director of External Affairs at Walt Disney World Resort

Following the temporary closures of Disney's parks and resorts worldwide, Disneyland Paris, the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, and the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, have donated their supplies of surplus food to local charities.

Disneyland Paris donated 15 tonnes of food, including salads, fruit and dairy products, to both local and nationwide charities, including Secours Populaire Français and Restaurants du Cœur.

The donation was made possible thanks to the efforts of resort staff and cast members who helped collect, identify and redistribute food that would have otherwise gone to waste.

In addition to the recent donation, the park also has longstanding schemes to prevent food waste by supporting those in need, as well as recycling organic food products in its restaurants and kitchens.

In the US, both the Disneyland and the Walt Disney World resorts have pledged to donate excess food to the Second Harvest Food Bank.

The Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California has had a food donation programme in place since 2015 and donated more than 20,000 meals to the Second Harvest Food Bank last year alone. The park has promised to donate excess inventory of packaged foods, as well as banquet meals and essentials such as fruit, vegetables and dairy products.

The Walt Disney World Resort has also promised its excess food to the Central Florida branch of the Second Harvest Food Bank, which works to end hunger in the Orange County area, as part of its Disney Harvest programme.

Launched in 1991, the programme is a food waste initiative that collects unserved and excess food from the Walt Disney World Resort and distributes it to hunger charities and programmes throughout Central Florida. The programme collects and donates more than 832,000lbs of prepared food per year, and last year donated more than a million meals to underprivileged people.

"Second Harvest Food Bank is known for their vital work addressing critical food needs in Central Florida, and we know the important role we play in helping to bring meaningful solutions to our community in times of great need," said Tajiana Ancora-Brown, director of External Affairs at Walt Disney World Resort.

Disney and Universal close theme parks as coronavirus pandemic continues