DoorDash to provide free at-home grocery delivery to qualifying Indy households
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Correction: A previous version of the article incorrectly spelled the last name of Merlin Gonzales.
The city of Indianapolis will partner with DoorDash and nonprofit organization Faith, Hope, and Love to provide free at-home delivery of food and other household items to qualifying families, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett announced during a press conference Wednesday at Cross Church.
The partnership, named Project DASH, aims to deliver these items provided by local pantries to Marion County families that are unable to access food, Hogsett said.
"This resource will be especially important for those who are home-bound, for those who lack transportation or who are otherwise unable to access nutritious, healthy food options, " he said. "This collaboration can bring relief literally to your doorstep."
More:Mayor Hogsett launches food insecurity initiative for Marion County
To qualify for this free delivery service, households need to be located within a 10-mile radius of the pick-up site, which is the distance at which DoorDash covers delivery fees. As of now, Cross Church and the Fay Biccard Glick Neighborhood Center are the sole pick-up locations.
Households can sign up to receive free deliveries by contacting Faith, Hope, and Love or by getting referred through another pantry.
Merlin Gonzales, president of Faith, Hope, and Love, said it's important that other food pantries get involved in Project DASH so that they can expand the program and food access.
"We would like to multiply this because we would like to reach the different sectors or sections of Indianapolis, of Marion County, because our goal is to deliver 1,000 boxes or packages of food a week by the end of 2022," Gonzales said.
The Office of Public Health and Safety's Division of Community Nutrition and Food Policy donated more than $100,000 to Faith, Hope, and Love, which trains and supports faith-based food pantries, to support this project and others. This money came from funds delegated to the city through the American Rescue Plan.
More:Op/Ed: Eradicating hunger, food insecurity in Indiana requires bipartisan effort
According to a 2021 survey conducted by the Indy Hunger Network, 9.8% of Indiana households were food insecure. The number is twice as high for African American households. Reports like these are why the city wanted to support this organization and start Project DASH, Hogsett said.
"The city of Indianapolis believes that access to healthy and to affordable food cannot be a luxury in our city," Hogsett said. "It is a right that we all have reason to expect."
Following the press conference, DoorDashers lined up outside of Cross Church. The first driver was Ariel Coppess, 25, who said this was her first DoorDash trip of the day.
"Now I'm a part of something in the community, I guess," she said while smiling.
Contact IndyStar reporter Madison Smalstig at MSmalstig@gannett.com or 765-7172758.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: DoorDash to deliver groceries to qualifying Indy homes for free
