DoorDash is helping Second Harvest reach seniors who need food

LORAIN — Second Harvest Food Bank and DoorDash are teaming up to deliver food boxes to seniors. ProjectDASH has been testing food deliveries to older Lorain County residents throughout May. Eligible seniors can have shelf stable food, cheese and produce delivered to them at home as part of this monthly program. "Seniors now make up more than 18 percent of who is served at food pantries, but we know many are still unable to access help because of a lack of transportation or mobility," said Julie Chase-Morefield, president and CEO of Second Harvest. The effort is funded through the federal Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which Second Harvest has been a part of since 2015. During the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the National Guard delivered boxes and dedicated volunteers continued the program. Second Harvest was limited to serving 80 seniors each month with the help of volunteers, but can now enroll more seniors through ProjectDASH. It can deliver within a 10-mile radius of Second Harvest's Baumhart Road facility in Lorain, which is the designated hub. That reach extends to Lorain, Vermilion, Amherst and parts of Elyria Township and Sheffield. As the program expands, Second Harvest will look to set up additional hubs in strategic locations to expand its reach. The program is open to residents 60 or older with an income at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty line, currently $17,667 annually for a single person. Seniors can call Second Harvest from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at (440) 960-2265 to apply for the program.