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With food assistance benefits set to run out starting Nov. 1 due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, DoorDash is stepping in to help.
The on-demand delivery platform said it will provide 1 million free meals through more than 300 associated food banks, food pantries and community organizations nationwide. The move comes as part of an emergency food response program.
DoorDash also plans to donate food and household essentials from its DashMart stores to local food banks in communities most affected by the funding freeze, according to an Oct. 26 press release announcing the initiative.
A DoorDash spokesperson said that the company’s New Jersey partners include the Community FoodBank of New Jersey and the Coalition for Food & Health Equity.
Additionally, DoorDash said it will waive delivery and service fees for an estimated 300,000 grocery orders placed by Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program recipients via the app. Participating chains include Sprouts Farmers Market, Dollar General, Stop & Shop and Wegmans Food Markets.
Customers with a SNAP/EBT card linked to their DoorDash profile can shop at those stores with delivery fees waived for one order, according to DoorDash.
‘Doing nothing simply isn’t an option’
In a statement, Max Rettig, DoorDash’s vice president and global head of public policy, said, “No one should go hungry in America – period. Millions of families are worried right now about how they’ll put food on the table. Fighting hunger is core to our mission at DoorDash, and we’re stepping up alongside leading grocers and retailers to help bridge the gap. We know this is a stopgap, not a solution. But doing nothing simply isn’t an option.”
Often referred to as “food stamps,” SNAP serves roughly 42 million low-income Americans. The programs were safe last month because states received federal funding before the shutdown began Oct. 1.
Eric Mitchell is president of Washington, D.C.-based Alliance to End Hunger. She said, “The food security of millions of people who rely on SNAP is at dire risk. We know that the only viable solution is to ensure SNAP benefits are being delivered in full to those in need of food assistance as soon as possible.”
“We are thankful for the part that companies and organizations across the country like DoorDash can do to try to fill the gap, and we will continue to work tirelessly to make sure SNAP is restored and protected quickly and fully,” he said.
Local figures
In an Oct. 24 online notice, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it will not issue SNAP benefits Nov. 1 if the stalemate persists.
“We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. They can continue to hold out for health care for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance,” the USDA wrote.
Democrats have said they won’t vote for a continuing resolution to fund the federal government and end the shutdown until the Republican-controlled Congress agrees to extend pandemic-era Affordable Care Act subsidies.
By the numbers
+800,000 residents in New Jersey rely on SNAP each month.
The USDA’s notice came after the Trump administration declined to tap roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep SNAP benefits flowing into next month.
Since states administer the federally funded program, the shutdown’s impact on SNAP varies. According to the New Jersey Department of Health, local SNAP benefits have full funding through Oct. 31. Meanwhile, the program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is funded through Nov. 10.
More than 800,000 residents in New Jersey rely on SNAP each month. Of those recipients, nearly 165,000 women and children depend on WIC benefits for healthy foods and nutritional support, the state said.
