The pandemic has upended all of our lives and decimated air travel globally. Yet it has also revealed and reinforced the importance of our society’s core values, such as helping those in need and taking care of one another.
At a time when our depleted finances have forced us to curtail programs, we have maintained Air Canada’s commitment to social responsibility. In particular, through the Air Canada Foundation, we continue to support Canadian-registered charities for children’s health and well-being. This includes
connecting children to medical care, combatting child poverty and helping fulfill their dreams.
For example, it is estimated that household food insecurity has risen 74 percent during Covid-19, and one in three children go to school hungry. To
help alleviate this, the Foundation continued with its donation program to Breakfast Club of Canada’s Back to School campaign. Beyond this, Air Canada and the Foundation participated in a food rescue effort Canada-wide, donating nearly 400,000 kilograms of food from April to October – more than 8.1 million meals.
Air Canada has responded in other innovative ways. We pivoted to cargo-only flights and, working with our partner Drone Delivery Canada, we
delivered essential items to a remote First Nation community. We have also given our employees unique opportunities to volunteer to help community
groups or make virtual visits with hospitalized children through the Wings of Courage program.
In the spirit of these efforts and the holiday season, this month we launched our Gift of Travel campaign. Through it we will celebrate special individuals
who distinguished themselves contributing to their communities – and enable you, our loyal customers, to recognize your own heroes and support
your preferred causes through our special auction or Hospital Transportation Program. This should allow everyone to have a little fun, even if for now many of you are only travelling in your dreams.
You can find details about the Gift of Travel, the Air Canada Foundation and our social-responsibility programs at aircanada.com. I wish you safe and
pleasant holidays and encourage you to embrace the promise of better times ahead.
