DoorDash Aims to Bring More Fresh Produce to Kids

Opening up more ways for children in need to incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables in their diet, DoorDash is teaming up with the nonprofit group Brighter Bites to provide direct produce delivery in more parts of the United States. The tech company and its Project DASH arm will work with Brighter Bites to expand offerings through the Produce Rx program. 

The partnership will enable DoorDash and Brighter Bites to widen the availability of such deliveries beyond the current Houston market by 2025. Both organizations recently committed to support the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health and its goal of ending hunger by 2030.

“DoorDash is proud to expand our partnership with Brighter Bites in support of the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. Local delivery of charitable food can have a transformative impact by breaking down barriers to access and enabling partners like Brighter Bites to promote health and wellness through produce boxes. We look forward to growing our partnership and joining with all sectors to grow our collective impact,” said Daniel Riff, head of DoorDash Drive Government and Nonprofit.

[RELATED: DoorDash’s Impact Extends to Consumers, Independent Merchants]

Progress toward 2030 goals will be revealed this spring, when a recent study is completed of 150 Medicaid-eligible families prescribed Produce Rx boxes for children who are considered obese. Brighter Bites worked with Texas-based health care organizations including UT Physicians, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and UTHealth Houston School of Public Health on that study. 

“The opportunity to deliver produce directly to children who require dietary intervention is an exciting one,” said Mike Pomeroy, VP of operations for Brighter Bites. “Some children are at risk with their long-term health if they don’t make dramatic improvements to their daily food intake. Our Produce Rx partnership with UT Physicians and DoorDash enables us to reach the children who need Brighter Bites the most." 

This is one of several recent efforts by DoorDash to improve healthy food access, including fresh produce and other items purchased from grocery stores. Also this month, the company announced that it is offering access to SNAP/EBT grocery delivery in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Additionally, the business is bolstering the availability of produce on the DoorDash Marketplace and promoting healthy products as part of the DoorDash consumer journey in the DoorDash Marketplace.