BY BETH DEDMAN
The NYC Department of Education and DoorDash, an on-demand food platform, partnered to deliver meals to hundreds of medically fragile students across the five boroughs.
After the public schools closed March 16, students with compromised immune systems or a lack of mobility were struggling to access the free meals provided by meal hubs. This partnership will use DoorDash’s fleet of Dashers to get deliveries from one of the 456 feeding sites providing three meals a day directly to the homes of medically fragile students.
“During this difficult time, I’ve been so grateful to New Yorkers who are coming together to make sure our students are safe, healthy, and can continue to learn,” Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza said. “Our partnership with DoorDash is a prime example of these efforts, bringing meals to our students who cannot leave their homes, and meeting a critical need during a crisis.”
More than 800 qualifying students have been offered daily delivery of breakfast, lunch and dinner by the DOE Office of Food and Nutrition Services. More than 120 students have opted into the program.
The NYC Department of Education anticipates needing anywhere between 500 and 750 meals delivered daily until at least April 20.
The partnership is powered by Project DASH, DoorDash’s flagship social impact program that leverages its logistics expertise to tackle the dual epidemics of hunger and food waste.
Each driver will complete 10-20 drops between 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Each drop consists of lunch for that day and breakfast for the next day. Dinner will be added in the near future.
“We will not let any child in New York City go hungry,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “This partnership with DoorDash will ensure medically fragile students can get the food they need delivered to their home.”
DoorDash is offering similar services to other organizations that need last-mile delivery support of food and supplies to mobility-impaired and low-income communities.
Organizations that are interested in using DoorDash for such help can fill out a form here.
