Cathay and Feeding Hong Kong celebrate over 10 years of being a positive force for the community together

Turning an environmental problem into a social solution through their surplus food rescue programme

May 27, 2025 -- Cathay and Feeding Hong Kong today proudly celebrated over 10 years of working together to address environmental and social challenges through their surplus food rescue programme. Driven by their shared values of being a positive force for the community and sustainability leadership, Cathay and Feeding Hong Kong collect surplus food items from inbound Cathay Pacific flights to Hong Kong that would otherwise be sent to landfills and repurpose them to tackle food waste and support underprivileged members of the community.

Cathay is the first airline to partner with Feeding Hong Kong. Since the programme’s launch in 2014, 2,250 tonnes of food have been collected and redistributed to people in need, benefitting 260,000 individuals over the past decade.

A special event was held at Feeding Hong Kong’s warehouse to celebrate the partnership, hosted by Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau, and Feeding Hong Kong Founder and Chief Executive Officer Gabrielle Kirstein OBE.

Cathay’s Lavinia Lau said: “As Hong Kong’s home airline for nearly 80 years, Cathay has deep roots in our home city. We are committed to moving our community forward in life by being a dedicated force of positivity, and our partnership with Feeding Hong Kong is a testament to what can be achieved when businesses and non-profit organisations come together to uplift our communities and create lasting positive impacts. I would like to sincerely thank our teams, our partners at Feeding Hong Kong, as well as the many volunteers from across Cathay over the years who have helped make this meaningful initiative possible.”

Feeding Hong Kong’s Gabrielle Kirstein said: “Our wonderful partnership with Cathay is a true testament to the community and purpose-driven spirit of Hong Kong’s favourite airline. Each and every week, their donation of surplus snacks, drinks, and fresh fruit, fuels over 150 of our frontline charity partners, who are working tirelessly to support vulnerable communities.

“We respect the commitment that Cathay made during the pandemic to rethink waste strategies and their steadfast resolve to continue to donate unavoidable excess stock and find a valuable new home for quality surplus.

“It really is a pleasure to collaborate with an organisation that is willing to go the extra mile, supporting us with a bounty of helping hands, sponsorship and more, to help us move ahead on our journey to bridge the gap between surplus and need.”

Food collection and distribution

Cathay was the first aviation company to support Feeding Hong Kong’s advocacy by donating and redirecting surplus food to help the community. To facilitate the initiative, Feeding Hong Kong has employees permanently located at Cathay Dining, which operates the Cathay Group’s flight kitchen at Hong Kong International Airport.

Feeding Hong Kong collects various kinds of packaged food and beverage items donated from Cathay Pacific flights, including bottled water, juices, canned beverages, soft drinks, snacks, cereal, UHT milk and fresh fruit. After being collected, food items are transported to Feeding Hong Kong’s 11,500-square-foot temperature-controlled warehouse in Yau Tong.

All food collected by Feeding Hong Kong is required to be in good condition to eat with a reasonable window for food to be collected, redistributed and consumed before the expiry date. The expiry dates and packaging conditions of each item are checked one by one to ensure they are safe for consumption.

Feeding Hong Kong handles over 1,200 tonnes of food donations every year from various sources, redistributing them to over 150 charity partners, ensuring that the food is delivered to those who need it most.

For more information, please visit www.cathay.com or www.feedinghk.org.

Cathay and Feeding Hong Kong today celebrated over 10 years of partnership with a special event hostedby Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau (left), and Feeding Hong Kong Founderand Chief Executive Officer Gabrielle Kirstein OBE (right).

Cathay’s Lavinia Lau thanked the teams, partners at Feeding Hong Kong and the many volunteers from across Cathay.

Feeding Hong Kong’s Gabrielle Kirstein OBE highlighted that today’s celebration also reaffirmed the shared commitment of Cathay and Feeding Hong Kong to sustainability and community support.

Cathay and Feeding Hong Kong today proudly celebrated over10 years of working together to address environmental and social challenges through their surplus food rescue programme.

Cathay’s Lavinia Lau and Cathay volunteers checked the expiry dates and packaging conditions of the surplus food.

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