Connecting people to what they need – when they need it – is what DoorDash does best. Since 2018, food banks, food pantries, and community organizations have partnered with Project DASH to deliver food and essential items to people experiencing food insecurity. Today, thanks to our partners, we’re proud to celebrate over 6 million deliveries via Project DASH. These deliveries are estimated to amount to more than 100 million meals delivered to households in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. Even as we celebrate this milestone, we know local delivery will continue to play an even more essential role over time as a powerful solution to break down barriers to food access.
Access to affordable, nutritious food is a serious and growing challenge. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest Household Food Security in the United States report, more than 44 million people in the U.S. experienced food insecurity in 2022. In many cases the problem is not the availability of food, but people’s ability to get it: transportation challenges, disabilities, stigma, and the demands of everyday life make it difficult for many people to access charitable food.
Project DASH eases some of these barriers, harnessing the power of local delivery to ensure that time and transportation are no longer obstacles. Project DASH ensures food travels to people and not the other way around. We partner with hundreds of nonprofit organizations - including United Way Worldwide, Feeding America (®) network food banks, and Meals on Wheels America - whose local leadership determines who receives these essential deliveries, when, and from what local hunger relief organizations. Dashers deliver items to recipients. With home delivery, people receive charitable food in a convenient, dignified way.
“Tackling food insecurity is a team effort—and our partnership with Project DASH is making the difference in the greater Akron area. Home delivery allows us to increase equity and serve previously unreachable members of our community—it’s a perfect example of how working together can demonstrably improve the quality of life for so many of our neighbors.” - Dan Flowers, President & CEO, Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank
100 million meals (and counting) delivered through Project DASH include:**
more than 63 million meals delivered to census tracts with a higher rate of SNAP-receiving households than the national average;
more than 12 million meals delivered to food deserts and about 15 million meals to rural communities;
more than 34 million meals delivered to census tracts with a higher rate of seniors than the national average; and
more than 49 million meals delivered to census tracts with a higher rate of people with disabilities than the national average.
Local Delivery Helps Project DASH Partners Broaden Access and Fulfill Their Missions
Providing culturally appropriate meals
Masbia Soup Kitchen and Project DASH have provided an estimated 1.5 million meals via 150,000 deliveries to residents of Borough Park, equipping the community with kosher meals and groceries during key religious moments and throughout the year.
Combating childhood hunger
Chatham Outreach Alliance (CORA) and Project DASH have worked together to deliver thousands of meals to ensure local school kids can access nutritious food without the social stigma associated with similar backpack programs. As a result of the partnership, more than 160 Chatham County children participated in the CORApacks program and received deliveries with meals and snacks for each of the 116 days they weren’t in school.
Serving survivors of domestic and sexual violence
SafeNest and Project DASH have partnered to provide over 800 deliveries of more than 9,000 meals to survivors of domestic and sexual violence in and around Las Vegas, Nevada. Together, Project DASH and SafeNest provide discreet deliveries of essential goods and nutritious meals to help survivors of domestic violence and their families as they get back on their feet.
Alleviating stress for new moms
Partnering with Project DASH helps The Texas Diaper Bank provide essential services by delivering baby diapers, adult diapers, and period products to individuals and families in need.
Improving the health of seniors
St. Mary’s Food Bank works with Project DASH to deliver more than 800,000 meals, supporting stronger nutrition for senior citizens and allowing the food bank to expand its reach to new cities such as Flagstaff and Camp Verde.
Empowering college students
UCSD’s Triton Food Pantry partners with Project DASH so students—particularly working students, young parents, and people with disabilities—receive charitable food in a way that helps them achieve their educational goals.
Supporting disaster relief and recovery
Together, Project DASH and 211 Big Bend have delivered more than 530 boxes of food, water, and essential supplies—such as diapers—to those impacted by devastating tornadoes in Florida’s Leon County.
Helping organizations fill volunteer gaps
When LaPorte County Meals on Wheels in Indiana is low on volunteers, they partner with Project DASH to ensure seniors get the meals they need and expect without interruption.
"Deliveries are helpful to me at the present time. I have diabetes and nerve damage and am not able to walk for long periods of time. I have also recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and am going to chemo once a week which makes me weak, nauseated, and too sick to go out. Thank you for keeping me and my family with food." - Sarah, Covington, WA
Project DASH deliveries are a source of community, connecting nonprofits, local Dashers who are paid for these deliveries, and neighbors experiencing food insecurity. Breaking down barriers to access brings us all closer together, supporting food banks and pantries to serve even more people.
“I made a real connection on one of my Project DASH deliveries. The woman I was delivering to was getting a kidney transplant. And I’ve had a kidney transplant. We had a moment—and I’ve wanted to be part of [Project DASH] ever since.” -Thomas Beeker, Dasher
With support from DoorDash, the Urban Institute studied the effectiveness of Project DASH home delivery partnerships. Through their research they found that:
80 percent of surveyed anti-hunger organizations stated that a motivating factor in seeking a DoorDash partnership was the ability to reach new people in need;
More than 90 percent of surveyed anti-hunger organizations reported that partnering with DoorDash allowed them to build capacity for services they otherwise would not be able to offer; and
82 percent of anti-hunger organizations reported that they plan to continue offering home delivery to clients in the future.
“Ending food insecurity is one of the biggest challenges of our lifetimes—and while there’s much work to be accomplished, with Project DASH we’re closer to building a community where no one is hungry. Home delivery and Project DASH are so important because they empower us to do what we do best: provide food to those in need.” - Jason Millenson, Sunshine Division
This incredible milestone is made possible by the work our partners have done to broaden access in their communities. We are proud to celebrate 100 million meals (and counting!) but know that much more needs to be done to ensure that every person facing food insecurity has access to local delivery.
If you’d like to partner with Project DASH, please email us at projectdash@doordash.com.
*Meals are estimated based on partner information about the contents and weight of food donated. For example, Feeding America cites a USDA definition of a meal as 1.2 pounds of food.
** These groups are not mutually exclusive.
