The food will go toward helping those in need.

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) preps for months to feed athletes participating in the Olympics and had a large stockpile of food warehoused, with the intention of shipping to Tokyo to feed TEAM USA for the 2020 Games.

Since the 2020 Olympics have been postponed, the committee last week decided to donate the 18,000 pounds of food it had saved up to Care and Share Food Bank in Colorado Springs. Over $115,000 of food was gifted. 

“These are incredibly difficult times for everyone,” said Rick Adams, the USOPC’s chief of sports performance and National Governing Body services in a press release. “Our CEO, Sarah Hirshland, is someone who’s always thinking about others and in this case when she became aware that we had this large volume of food she wanted to make sure we did all we could for the people in Colorado Springs who need it. We’re confident they’re getting it into the hands of people who need it right now. Unfortunately, the product isn’t on its way to Tokyo, but there are more important things going on and we wanted to do our small part to help.”

Care and Share Food Bank serves 31 counties in Colorado. Last year, 171,000 people were fed through the organization, according to COO Shannon Brice. She has seen an increase in need over the last few weeks, so this donation is much appreciated, as the numbers of those who need help are expected to grow. 

“It’s going to continue to be an issue and we’ll be responding to it for a good amount of time,” Brice said. “We’re actively trying to secure as much food as we can so donations like this, and this value, this amount, are incredibly meaningful,” Brice said of the donation last week. 

The USPOC preps for months to feed athletes during the game, taking into consideration the food standards and storage for each country the games are held in. They consider the times of day athletes will be competing, and when they will need recovery meals, snacks, and more. Some of the food donated would expire late this year, and as it cannot go to feed the athletes, it should not go to waste. Along with the large donation last week, the USOPC regularly donates to the food bank and often looks for ways to support the local community, both normal times and in those of emergency. When wildfires were rampant in the area, the USOPC Training Center in Colorado Springs was opened to those put out of their homes.

Do you know of any other big donations to local food banks? Do you know of an organization that really needs some help? Share with us in the comments.