International Fresh Produce Association Reflects on #GivingTuesday; Kyle McMillan and Kelly Alesi Comment
WASHINGTON, DC - This week, folks across the country came together to celebrate #GivingTuesday. International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) reflected on its food donation partnerships with the Global Produce & Floral Show, which included Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County and Food Forward, as well as event partner, GES, to donate furniture and appliances used on the floor.
“The partnerships we have with local organizations that help us rescue and deliver produce, floral, and more to the communities that host our show are critical to our values and sustainability goals,” said Director of Trade Shows, Kyle McMillan. “We’re also so grateful for our Exhibitors for their generosity of donating their products and look forward to continuing our work with these partners at next year’s show in Atlanta, Georgia.”
According to a press release, IFPA put in place an extensive back of house waste sorting operation to maximize the collection of over 6 tons of floral green waste. Additional waste streams included soft plastics, cardboard, and single stream recycling.
The donation at this year’s show totaled 227,000 lbs of produce and floral with 221,000 lbs of produce going to the communities around Anaheim and Los Angeles, California.
“Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County is thrilled to continue its long-term partnership with IFPA for another successful trade show,” said Director of Sourcing, Logistics, and Sustainability at Second Harvest, Kelly Alesi. “We deeply appreciate this fruitful collaboration. We also extend our gratitude to the members and vendors of the 2023 IFPA trade show for their generous product donations. Second Harvest greatly values this year’s contributions, which have played a crucial role in our ability to supply our community with nutritious, fresh produce."
This year, IFPA expanded the partnership with these organizations to maximize community impact by also partnering with Food Forward, who helped to distribute food and floral through its LA distribution channels.
In a continued effort to be more sustainable, for the first time ever, IFPA offered a furnishing recycling option which included furniture, refrigerators, and more that have been donated to the surrounding communities.
We applaud IFPA on these impactful efforts! Stay tuned as ANUK reports the latest.
