More than 35,000 surplus items of stock from easyJet’s in-flight retail range have been donated to charities nationwide.
These include 1,500 products from the airline’s base at Luton airport to support the HelpNHSHeroes campaign.
The products which would normally be sold on board flights will be bundled together and given as care packages for NHS workers.
Crisps, biscuits, orange juice, snack boxes, muffins and chocolate brownies are being delivered to local causes across the UK in the areas where easyJet has bases including NHS workers and homeless charities.
HelpNHSHeroes is a recently-launched campaign set up to provide NHS workers with access to food for family meals at their place of work.
The volunteer-run initiative provides a family of four with food for two days on the hospital’s doorstep. It also provides a collection hub for donations received by hospitals for their key worker staff.
EasyJet commercial director Andrew Middleton said: “We have many items from our in-flight retail range held across our UK bases which won’t be sold and so donating where we can to local causes enables us to support our NHS heroes at this critical time.
“The HelpNHSHeroes campaign is doing a fantastic job at providing support for the NHS who are at the forefront of dealing with this health emergency so it’s great that our team in Luton can help this effort at this crucial time.”
More than 30 cabin crew and pilots are volunteering at Lister Hospital in Hertfordshire supporting the NHS staff by giving out free lunches and food boxes to frontline staff.
Air crew have also been volunteering to provide peer support in hospitals as part of Project Wingman, an individual-led volunteering initiative for air crew across the airline industry set up by clinical psychologists and pilots including easyJet captain Emma Henderson.
EasyJet cabin crew volunteers will also be supporting the NHS at the ExCeL field hospital in London to help frontline clinical staff. The NHS is enlisting the help of cabin crew in a bid to help staff new Nightingale hospitals.
HelpNHSHeroes founder Jason Mawer said: “It is the generosity of companies such as easyJet that enables us to provide this service to our incredible NHS heroes. We are extremely grateful for the donation of supplies and also the time and energy given by the wonderful cabin crew, pilots and even captains who have been volunteering to help make this happen.”
