Today, we’re proud to announce our collaboration with the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) and Direct Relief to support the White House’s efforts to vaccinate 70% of adults in the US by July 4.
Since vaccines became available, DoorDash has donated over $3 million in gift cards to bolster local outreach and encourage community vaccination efforts across the country, with $2 million distributed in collaboration with the NACHC and Direct Relief. This donation will support vaccine outreach and participation at an estimated 1,000 local community health centers across the country over the next few weeks. In addition, the gift cards can help people who have been recently vaccinated put food on the table and rest, reducing the burden of potential side effects.
“As part of our nationwide push to get millions of Americans vaccinated before Independence Day, companies, non-profits, localities, and organizations across the country are stepping up to the plate to encourage vaccinations among their customers and in their communities,” said Ian Sams, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). “Now, thanks to DoorDash, people who go to a community health center to get vaccinated could get a free meal after getting their shot. Examples like this show how our nation is rallying together to protect people from COVID-19 and bring this pandemic to an end.”
“DoorDash is proud to team up with the White House and donate gift cards to bolster efforts to vaccinate over 70% of Americans by July 4th. We applaud the Administration for its ambitious public health initiatives, and are grateful to our partners, the National Association of Community Health Centers and Direct Relief, for their commitment to expanding vaccine access. We’re thrilled that these gift cards can help people get a meal delivered from a local restaurant so they can focus on resting after receiving their vaccination. In total, we’ve provided more than $3 million to help support vaccine outreach this year and we hope that this collaboration will play a part in getting our communities back to normal safely and responsibly,” said Tony Xu, CEO and Co-Founder of DoorDash.
This initiative is a part of DoorDash’s Community Credits program, which provides donations of DoorDash gift cards to nonprofits in order to help them empower the communities they serve, reduce food insecurity as a barrier for their target audiences, and encourage participation in programs that expand access to opportunity. In 2021 we’ve donated to vaccine outreach efforts across the U.S. and Canada through Community Credits, including $1 million to community-based organizations serving as mobile vaccination sites in California through the state’s Office of Emergency Services. Today we’re excited to announce our collaboration with Direct Relief and the NACHC, which serves over 30 million people, over 90% of whom live in poverty and over 60% of whom are members of communities of color, to help broaden vaccine access and lift up underserved communities.
“We are proud and grateful to be a part of an historic effort to create a path out of the pandemic,” said Tom Van Coverden, President and CEO of the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC). “America’s Health Centers have administered more than 10 million vaccine doses and have increased the number of vaccines they initiate each week by almost five-fold from January 8 to early May. As we begin the last mile of this vaccination campaign to stop the spread of COVID-19, health center efforts are now focused on facilitating vaccinations in underserved communities with education, outreach, trusted information, support services and now, incentives. This last mile is where the real work begins. We stand ready to work with the Biden Administration and partners such as Direct Relief and DoorDash to make the distribution of vaccines as equitable and accessible as possible.”
“Direct Relief is so privileged to support this effort by DoorDash, NACHC, and the Biden Administration to make life a bit easier for those receiving critical vaccines,” said Thomas Tighe, Direct Relief President and CEO. “Community health centers have proved invaluable at every stage of this pandemic, from prevention and testing efforts to vaccination campaigns making sure no one is left behind. This latest effort, thanks to the generosity and leadership of DoorDash, is a wonderful example of what we need more of to encourage and assist people in underserved communities to get vaccinated and move us all closer to an end to this pandemic.”
Supporting our communities through the pandemic has been our focus since its onset. Early on, DoorDash took steps to protect Dashers with PPE, telehealth access, and financial assistance. We reduced commissions for restaurant partners, launched products and services to help local businesses adapt, and provided direct support through grant and education programs. Since vaccines became available, DoorDash has also worked to ensure that Dashers receive clear information regarding how and where they can get the vaccine, providing localized vaccine eligibility information so Dashers knew when it was their turn to get the shot.
DoorDash is proud to support the White House’s efforts to broaden vaccine access. We remain committed to empowering local economies and uplifting communities so that we can return to the moments we miss most, as quickly as possible.
