Calgary non-profit seeks landing spots after receiving more than 360 cases of bananas

A Calgary not-for-profit says it's looking for good "homes" for a large donation of bananas after they were donated late last week.

Audra Stevenson, interim CEO with Leftovers Foundation, says seven pallets with more than 360 cases of bananas arrived on Friday, donated by an organization called FreshDirect.

"On one side, we were like, yes, this is awesome," Stevenson said. "Everyone is going to be so excited to receive this.

"And then on the other hand you just kind of go, OK, it's Friday afternoon — let's do as much as we can before end of day to make sure we can get this to as many people as possible."

The Leftovers Foundation, which picks up excess food and delivers it to service agencies, has a pool of food recipients that it reaches out to when it receives donations.

After receiving the bananas, the foundation was able to deliver a big chunk of the donation — but more than 150 cases still remain.

Given the fact that the fruit is perishable, the organization anticipates it has until Tuesday to find homes for the rest. After Tuesday, the foundation will look for more creative ways to use the bananas.

In the time of a pandemic, Stevenson said demand on food-serving agencies in the city is very high, and food waste remains a common problem.

"Everybody is kind of guilty, sometimes, of the excess food waste," she said.

"And so we're just happy to be a really easy solution to get that food to people who need it, because it can come from just a mistake in the ordering numbers, for all they know."

Stevenson said the organization is open to receiving creative suggestions on what to do with the bananas moving forward.