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DoorDash teams up with Hunger Task Force to help seniors
Food delivery, especially on a rainy day, can be a beautiful thing, but for the elderly who may not be able to leave home in during the coronavirus pandemic, it’s a lifeline. A unique partnership is working to make this possible.
WEST MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Food delivery, especially on a rainy day, can be a beautiful thing, but for the elderly who may not be able to leave home in during the coronavirus pandemic, it’s a lifeline. A unique partnership is working to make this possible.
On a rainy Monday, ordering delivery is the way to go.
"Well, this is my first time picking up, I just started DoorDash this week!" said Cedric Jiles, driver.
Jiles got a request from an unlikely customer.
"Well, I got an order for Hunger Task Force, and that’s not something I wanted to turn down because it’s a program for seniors," said Jiles. "It helps them out since they can’t come out on their own sometimes."
In partnership with United Way of Greater Milwaukee and working alongside DoorDash, the group is working to make some very important deliveries.
"We knew that there were a lot of seniors who hadn’t gone out and hadn’t picked up their Stockbox," said Sherrie Tussler, executive director of Hunger Task Force. "We agreed that we would emphasize those resources around the Stockbox using DoorDash, delivering directly to those senior homes."
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In the process, they're sending out healthy food to seniors in need.
"It costs them nothing," said Tussler. "It is a free program of the USDA, and DoorDash is picking up the expenses. After that, we’re going to have a conversation with the United Way. If it seems to work, because this is a new idea, new technology, we’re going to see what we can do to continue to get those deliveries to the seniors."
Roughly 300 people are currently signed up for the program with the potential of supplying 2,000 seniors with food.
"Even for myself, I have two parents that are immunocompromised, so I know how tough it is to get out and be around people, so if I can help in any way, I’m willing to do that," said Jiles.
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