MONTREAL — Transat has donated some 500,000 food items, making up more than 100 pallets, to Centraide of Greater Montreal, which is part of the Centraide United Way Canada organization.

The half million food items, including meals, snacks, beverages and more, will be redistributed by Centraide to the Réseau alimentaire de l’Est de Montréal for the Grande Boucle Solidaire, starting this week.

With the flight program of its business unit Air Transat reduced until spring, the company decided to donate these food products, with an estimated value of $600,000, to a worthy cause in the Greater Montreal area.

“With needs now even greater than ever because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are very pleased to make this donation of food items,” says Jean-François Lemay, President, Air Transat. “Nothing is more gratifying to us than knowing we will be helping thousands of families, with the holidays just around the corner.”

The operation was made possible with the co-operation of two of Air Transat’s partners, Fleury Michon and Purolator, which transported the food free of charge from the airline’s bases to its central warehouses in Montreal.

Since April, over 235,000 frozen meals have been given out to people in need in 10 neighbourhoods in Montreal’s east end thanks to the organization and mobilization of over 40 community agencies, part of the The Grande Boucle Solidaire collective project, says Mario Régis, Vice-President, Social Development, Centraide of Greater Montreal.

“Centraide of Greater Montreal thanks Transat for this generous donation of food to help families in neighbourhoods heavily impacted by COVID-19 to cope with the crisis,” said Régis.

Every year Transat and its employees provide financial support to Centraide (United Way in English-speaking Canada). Once again this year, the company held its November fundraising campaign with the involvement of all its personnel. During the past decade, Transat has donated some $1,180,000 to the organization across Canada.

“Despite the extremely difficult period we find ourselves in, along with the entire global aviation and travel industry, we are maintaining our unwavering commitment to the communities in which we operate, including with Centraide of Greater Montreal and its partners,” said Annick Guérard, Chief Operating Officer, Transat.