Chick-fil-A Los Filtros feeding manatees instead of landfills
The restaurant in Bayamón diverts food waste by contributing to the Caribbean Manatee Conservation Center.
While many Chick-fil-A restaurants divert food scraps through composting, Chick-fil-A Los Filtros in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, is taking a different approach: donating its extra lettuce to feed local manatees.
“I’ve been a manatee lover since the age of five,” said Caitlin Chávez, the local owner-operator of the location. “Never in my life did I think that I’d have the opportunity to feed and help save manatees as a Chick-fil-A owner-operator.”
Chávez and her team save excess romaine and green leaf lettuce, which they donate weekly to the Caribbean Manatee Conservation Center (CMCC). On average, the restaurant contributes about 200 pounds of lettuce per visit, which is used to feed young, orphaned manatees or injured adult manatees being rehabilitated at the center.
“We need a lot of food to take care of these animals,” said Adriana Figueora, a staff member at the CMCC. “It’s amazing that a company like Chick-fil-A is helping us with our conservation efforts.”
Chick-fil-A is the only quick-service restaurant on the island that is actively donating surplus food to the center. The restaurant’s support helps the CMCC fulfill its commitment to the conservation of endangered manatees through rescue and stranding response programs, rehabilitation and veterinary care, population research and community outreach in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
Chick-fil-A Los Filtros’ efforts also support Chick-fil-A Inc.’s corporate social responsibility goal to divert more than 25 million pounds of food waste from landfills between 2020 and 2025.
“When we think about why Chick-fil-A exists — to have a positive influence on everyone who comes in contact with Chick-fil-A — that just happens to include manatees in this case,” said Chávez.
