The online food ordering and delivery service DoorDash recently announced that customers can use their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to order food on the app. The program is designed to benefit low-income households, La Opinion reports.
The initiative is the result of a strategic partnership with Forage, a company that specializes in payment solutions. Forage has facilitated the integration of Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards on DoorDash, making it easier for SNAP recipients to access essential services.
Because of this program, DoorDash can now accelerate the USDA authorization process for merchants on the app, lowering the time it takes for them to start accepting SNAP/EBT on the app.
The partnership will allow consumers to order SNAP-eligible groceries from more merchants while using their SNAP benefits on DoorDash.
"We're thrilled to partner with DoorDash and expand on-demand grocery delivery for SNAP shoppers," said Ofek Lavian, co-founder and CEO of Forage. "This collaboration is at the heart of our mission, and we're extremely proud to play a role in removing as many barriers as possible when it comes to increasing access to food for low-income Americans."
So far, since the introduction of the program back in June, DoorDash has seen an increase in 1.1 million users who have signed up with their SNAP/EBT cards. Overall, DoorDash anticipates this initiative will benefit over 14 million people living in food deserts, as well as more than 40 million individuals in communities where one in ten households already have SNAP benefits. They also expect the program to benefit SNAP recipients' daily lives.
"Growing the acceptance of SNAP/EBT payments can help families meet child care and work obligations, relieve seniors of the potential stress of going to grocery stores, and support people with disabilities who face mobility issues," said Fuad Hannon, vice president of New Verticals at DoorDash. "We're thrilled to broaden access to food with on-demand delivery via DoorDash."
A fifth of food stamp benefits— nearly $6 billion per year— are issued to Latino households, according to Census Data. This means that more than 5 million Latinos receive food stamps each month, which represents more than 10% of the Latino population in the U.S.
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