DoorDash Option Increases Access For West Suburban Pantry Customers

WOODRIDGE, IL — Shoppers at West Suburban Community Pantry (WSCP) have found it even easier to receive their necessary food items since the pantry started using DoorDash to make its deliveries. Since the Project DASH program started at the beginning of summer, the WSCP has delivered an average of more than 1000 food packages a month to customers.

"We are committed to extending our reach any way we can to serve the growing need. Our partnership with DoorDash allows us to reduce or eliminate barriers including access to transportation, stigma, and the sheer physical burden of carrying 70 plus pounds of groceries,” says Paul Matsushima, director of Pantry Operations at WSCP said in a news release.

Matsushima added, "We are also able to provide more delivery opportunities to DoorDash workers who may also be struggling to make ends meet."

“We have customers who are elderly, disabled, work crazy hours or are home caring for children, seniors, or those with special needs. Some either don’t drive or don’t have access to a vehicle, so they rely on relatives or neighbors for help," volunteer coordinator Colleen Loftus said in a statement.

Loftus added, “I know of one senior who is severely immunocompromised. Prior to DoorDash, she had relied on monthly delivery by a pantry volunteer. Now she can order her fresh produce, milk and eggs weekly and have it delivered through DoorDash. The opportunity to have contactless delivery is key for her as she can't interact with other people without fear of becoming ill.”

Customers who live within 10 miles of West Suburban Community Pantry are able to access its DoorDash service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. To date, some 150 families have taken advantage of the free service when they order food from food bank's virtual pantry.