MONTREAL, Dec. 9, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - Transat A.T. Inc., one of the largest integrated tourism companies in the world and Canada's holiday travel leader, has made a large donation of food items to Centraide of Greater Montreal, which is redistributing them to the Réseau alimentaire de l'Est de Montréal for the Grande Boucle Solidaire. A total of some 500,000 items (meals, snacks, beverages, etc.), making up more than 100 pallets, will be distributed 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," said 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."
Mario Régis, Vice-President, Social Development, Centraide of Greater Montreal, stated: "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." He continued: "The Grande Boucle Solidaire is an innovative collective project to which we are proud to contribute. 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. This support from Transat will add to the food assistance that agencies are already providing throughout the city's eastern territory."
"The Réseau alimentaire de l'Est de Montréal would like to thank Transat and Centraide of Greater Montreal for their contributions to the Grande Boucle Solidaire," declared Agathe Malécot, Co-Director of the Réseau alimentaire de l'Est de Montréal. "Their donations of food, logistical support, and willingness to listen to the community are essential as this challenging year comes to an end. This initiative demonstrates the agility and resilience of local organizers in working towards collective solidarity. The Grande Boucle Solidaire would never have been possible without our many partners such as GEMO, Bouffe Action de Rosemont, the VAPATME collective, and more."
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.
"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," explained Annick Guérard, Chief Operating Officer, Transat.
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.
About Transat
Transat A.T. Inc. is a leading integrated international tourism company specializing in holiday travel. Under the Transat and Air Transat banners, the Corporation offers vacation packages, hotel stays and air travel to some 60 destinations in over 25 countries in the Americas and Europe. Transat is firmly committed to sustainable tourism development, as reflected in its multiple corporate responsibility initiatives over the past 13 years, and obtained Travelife certification in 2018. Based in Montreal, the Corporation has 5,000 employees (TSX: TRZ).
Recent distinctions and awards
- Named World's Best Leisure Airline at the Skytrax World Airline Awards
- Ranked second in the Travel and Leisure category and 57th overall on Forbes magazine's annual list of the world's best employers
- Voted Best Tour Operator and Favourite Overall Supplier at the Agents' Choice Awards presented by Baxter Travel Media
About Centraide of Greater Montreal
Centraide of Greater Montreal is active in the territories of Laval, Montreal and the South Shore. It regularly supports a network of 350 agencies and collective projects every year. In 2020, it invested $49.4M in this network in addition to the emergency funds of $24M deployed to deal with the health crisis and address increasing needs. Centraide has a presence in 18 regions in Quebec and is supported by private, public and parapublic corporations and institutions as well as large trade unions. The money it raises is invested locally to break the cycle of poverty and social exclusion. For more details or make a donation: centraide-mtl.org.
About The Réseau alimentaire de l'Est de Montréal
The Réseau alimentaire de l'Est de Montréal (Eastern Montreal Food Network) is an NPO whose mission is to federate food initiatives in the East of Montreal with the objective of eliminating food deserts. It takes on the role of incubator to support and consolidate collective community-led projects. At the start of the pandemic, the RAEM called upon its partners to help the inhabitants of East Montreal. Thus was born the Grande Boucle Solidaire, a collective food aid project funded by Centraide of Greater Montreal. Between 6,000 and 8,000 beneficiaries receive a little bit of comfort every week during this difficult period.
SOURCE Transat A.T. Inc.
MEDIA: Odette Trottier, Director, Communications and Corporate Affairs, odette.trottier@transat.com 514 908-8891; Annick Gagnon, Public Relations Advisor, Centraide of Greater Montreal, gagnona@centraide-mtl.org 514 288-1261, ext. 242; Agathe Roche, Mobilization and Communications Officer, Réseau alimentaire de l'Est de Montréal, communication@reseaualimentaire-est.org 438 638-8960, poste 5