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The basics:

• DoorDash gifts $2,000 in community credits to HCCC students facing food insecurity
• Donation helps students purchase meals, essentials during and after SNAP benefit interruptions
• HCCC survey found 68.5% of students face food insecurity, 43% housing insecurity, 12% homelessness
• Local officials, HCCC leadership praised donation for supporting vulnerable students

Following recent interruptions and uncertainty surrounding federal food assistance benefits, DoorDash is stepping in to help combat food insecurity at Hudson County Community College.

In a Dec. 8 press release, the on-demand delivery platform announced it will donate $2,000 worth of community credits – in the form of gift cards – to college students facing hunger. The move aims to help them purchase meals and essentials.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits have since been reinstated to New Jerseyans. However, DoorDash seeks to demonstrate its commitment to and support of the college’s ongoing efforts to address food insecurity among HCCC students.

After conducting an in-house survey of students last year, the Jersey City-based institution found:

• 68.5% said they faced food insecurity in the prior 30 days
• 43% reported housing insecurity in the previous year
• 12% experienced homelessness in the previous year

As the federal government shutdown-related pause to SNAP intensified pressures across the hunger relief ecosystem, DoorDash hopes its donation will help ensure HCCC students have access to the food and services they need.

Supporting students

In a statement, DoorDash Head of New York and New Jersey Public Engagement Ivan Garcia said, “Too many students are forced to choose between focusing on their education and meeting their most basic needs. We’re proud to partner with Hudson County Community College to ensure that students have the support they need beyond the classroom.”

“Fighting hunger is core to our mission at DoorDash, and we’re grateful to stand with organizations that share our belief that every community deserves reliable access to the resources they need to thrive,” he said.

HCCC President Christopher Reber said that while the school’s students “come from incredibly resilient backgrounds” food and housing insecurity “continue to be a challenge that impacts their ability to succeed.”

“This support from DoorDash helps reinforce our commitment to removing barriers so that students can focus on learning, growing, and achieving their goals,” he said.

Local lens

Local officials also praised DoorDash for its community outreach.

State Sen. Raj Mukherji, D-32nd District, remarked, “In the wake of the SNAP disruption, this contribution from DoorDash will help Hudson County Community College meet an urgent need for many of its students. Ensuring that our community colleges can provide wraparound support is essential to strengthening pathways to opportunity, and I’m grateful for partners who step up when families are feeling the strain.”

Hudson County Executive Craig Guy added, “I applaud DoorDash and Hudson County Community College for stepping up at a crucial time. Hudson County must be a place where no student is left behind, and this partnership helps fight hunger for vulnerable students when they need it most. When federal benefits are uncertain, local action matters more than ever.”

The donation comes a few weeks after DoorDash pledged to give 1 million free meals through more than 300 associated food banks, food pantries and community organizations nationwide ahead of the SNAP benefits cutoff. The company also said it would donate food and household essentials from its DashMart stores to local food banks in communities most affected by the funding freeze.

Within New Jersey, local partners included the Community FoodBank of New Jersey and the Coalition for Food & Health Equity.