Vail Resorts opted to close all 37 resorts early in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic, but the mountain resort operator also wanted to give back to the community in the face of this adversity. The excess perishable food from the various properties was donated to 30 local food banks, schools and community organizations in the communities where Vail Resorts employees live, work and play. Fruit, vegetables, cheese, juice, granola bars and more went to mountain communities from Colorado and Vermont to British Columbia.

At Whistler Community Service Center, Whistler Blackcomb donated about 20 pallets of food, while a truck loaded to maximum capacity delivered food to Tahoe Truckee Unified School District in California to continue the student lunch program. Other benefitting organizations included Family & Intercultural Resource Center in Summit County, Colorado; The Leadville Community Food Bank and Vail Valley Salvation Army, also in Colorado; Christian Center of Park City in Utah; Lamoille Community Food Share, Black River Good Neighbors Food Bank and Vermont Foodbank, all in Vermont; New Hampshire’s Claremont Soup Kitchen; and Kaaterskill & East Jewett Food Pantry in Tannersville, New York.

Additionally, Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz donated 2.5 million to provide immediate support for employees and mountain town communities. A donation of $1.5 million will fund immediate emergency relief grants benefitting more than 12 local organizations in Eagle, Summit and Gunnison, Colorado; Park City, Utah; Lake Tahoe, California; Whistler, B.C.; Vermont; Stevens Pass, Washington; and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Another $1 million will be used to establish a new fund in the Vail Resorts’ EpicPromise Employee Foundation to help company employees respond to unpredictable setbacks, meeting the increased need for assistance due to COVID-19.