As the federal government shutdown continues, millions of Americans may not receive their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in November, but DoorDash is stepping in to help.
The delivery platform announced the launch of its Emergency Food Response. It said it will provide 1 million free meals through more than 300 food banks and pantries nationwide in November. DoorDash also plans to waive delivery and service fees for an estimated 300,000 grocery orders placed by SNAP recipients through its app.
Participating grocers include Sprouts, Dollar General, Schnucks, Ahold Delhaize brands, Hy-Vee, Giant Eagle and Wegmans. The company said customers with a SNAP/EBT card linked to their DoorDash account will be eligible for one fee-free grocery delivery during November.
“No one should go hungry in America – period,” Max Rettig, vice president and global head of public policy at DoorDash, said in a statement. “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.”
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.
To further assist families, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he would deploy the California National Guard and state volunteers on a humanitarian mission to food banks.
To find a food bank, visit cafoodbanks.org.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has said it won’t use the SNAP contingency funding, which Congress has allocated for emergency scenarios, if the shutdown extends beyond Friday. SNAP helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries.
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