SAN FRANCISCO, CA — With federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at risk due to the ongoing government shutdown, DoorDash has announced a nationwide Emergency Food Response aimed at preventing millions of Americans from going hungry.
The initiative, launched Sunday, includes 1 million free meals delivered through food banks and waived delivery and service fees for an estimated 300,000 grocery orders placed by SNAP recipients across the country.
The company’s response comes as more than 40 million Americans — including 21 million children, 16 million working families, and 5 million seniors — could see a disruption in their food assistance benefits. Food banks across the nation are already reporting surges in demand.
“No one should go hungry in America — period,” said Max Rettig, DoorDash’s Vice President and Global Head of Public Policy. “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’s Emergency Food Response includes several major efforts:
- Delivering 1 million meals for free through its Project DASH program, waiving merchant fees for more than 300 food banks and pantries nationwide throughout November.
- Waiving delivery and service fees for SNAP recipients shopping at Sprouts, Dollar General, Schnucks, Food Lion, Giant Foods, The GIANT Company, Hannaford, Stop & Shop, Hy-Vee, Giant Eagle, and Wegmans.
- Donating food and essentials from DashMart stores to local food banks in communities hit hardest by the funding freeze.
Project DASH, DoorDash’s hunger relief initiative, has already facilitated more than 8 million deliveries, the equivalent of 135 million meals, since its creation.
“The food security of millions of people who rely on SNAP is at dire risk,” said Eric Mitchell, President of the Alliance to End Hunger. “We are thankful for the part that companies like DoorDash can play to help fill the gap, and we’ll continue to work tirelessly to make sure SNAP is restored and protected.”
DoorDash is also urging others to act — calling on Congress to restore SNAP funding quickly and asking individuals, businesses, and organizations to support their local food banks.
For more information or to get involved with Project DASH, visit doordashimpact.com or contact [email protected].
