Event recognized Ossining High School’s contributions to Project DASH, where students prepare and hand out bags of fresh fruits and vegetables to be delivered by Dashers to households in need
On Sept. 28, United Way of Westchester and Putnam and DoorDash celebrated 75,000 deliveries together through DoorDash’s Project DASH initiative. The organizations hosted a press conference at Ossining High School with students and teachers as well as New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, New York State Assemblymember Sandy Galef, Ossining Town Supervisor Dana Levenberg and Westchester County Legislative Chair Catherine Borgia.
Since 2020, DoorDash has partnered with United Way Worldwide and its chapters to support the families impacted by food insecurity. The event marked 75,000 local deliveries through the local partnership, as well as 1 million deliveries in partnership with United Way nationally.
The event also recognized participants and teachers in Ossining High School’s OPRIME program, where students prepare and hand out bags of fresh fruit and vegetables from Feeding Westchester, which are then delivered by Dashers to local households facing food insecurity. The program gives students opportunities to learn valuable practical and social skills in a hands-on environment, while connecting with their community.
“Thanks to DoorDash, United Way of Westchester and Putnam and Feeding Westchester for making 75,000 deliveries of nutritious food to residents in our area,” said New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. “And a special thank you to the Ossining High School students who contributed to this important effort. Even in affluent Westchester, 37 percent of households are at risk for hunger. We need more partnerships like these that address food insecurity with creative solutions that put food on the table for families who would otherwise go without.”
“By teaming up with DoorDash and 40 local partners such as Feeding Westchester and the Ossining School District, United Way works to close the transportation gap that prevents too many seniors and families from accessing the nutritious produce and pantry staples,” said United Way of Westchester and Putnam CEO Tom Gabriel.
“Every month 1,000 households are provided nourishing food and educational activities directly to their doorsteps. That is incredible and ensures that children and their families can depend on having nutritious food in their homes. Partners like United Way and DoorDash are so valuable,” said said President & CEO of Feeding Westchester, Karen C. Erren.
“I am thankful for our partnership with United Way, Feeding Westchester, and DoorDash because we know that it is making a huge difference,” said Dr. Raymond Sanchez, Ossining Schools Superintendent. “It provides the opportunity to meet our families where they are at, not putting the onus on them to have to come to us. It ensures that they retain their dignity while getting the resources they need, and it certainly has a positive impact on student achievement. We know if students are hungry, they cannot learn as well.”
“Thank you to United Way of Westchester and Putnam, Ossining High School and DoorDash for providing nutritious food to those in need and raising awareness of food insecurity in our community,” said New York State Assemblywoman Sandy Galef. “Not every family in the community is equipped with the transportation necessary to obtain the food they need. We’re especially proud of our students who have demonstrated a commitment to fighting food insecurity at such a young age – they are representative of the bright future ahead of us.”
Project DASH enables government and nonprofit partners to use DoorDash to facilitate deliveries for social impact and increase access to food and critical essentials in their communities. Overall, Project DASH has powered over 2.5 million deliveries of an estimated more than 50 million estimated meals across the U.S. and Canada.
