Increasing demand for home delivery services during the pandemic pushed many hunger relief organizations to accelerate their operations. With financial aid from government and private corporations like Amazon and DoorDash starting to taper off, there is a rising concern about the sustainability of these services.

At the start of the pandemic, Greater Cleveland Food Bank saw a rapid rise in home deliveries. To cater to the rising demand, the National Guard was called in, volunteers were mobilized, and a full-time home delivery coordinator was appointed. Their partnership with DoorDash, which allowed the food bank to use their drivers and routing technology free of cost, further expanded the service. Similar experiences were reported by the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, which delivered 12,000 meals last year, thanks to DoorDash‘s assistance.

As COVID-related funding dwindles and aid from private companies becomes less reliable, there are concerns about how these organizations will continue to support the increased demand for home delivery. The Greater Cleveland Food Bank, for instance, is preparing to tap into funds that were budgeted for COVID response once the DoorDash grants run out.

Alternatively, Central Pennsylvania Food Bank is exploring additional partnerships and fundraising avenues to continue its home delivery service. The food bank has also collaborated with a healthcare provider that uses UPS for overnight food deliveries to patients identified as food-insecure, with the costs covered by health insurance.

Smaller organizations are likely to struggle to maintain home delivery services as external aid dwindles. Despite these concerns, the consensus among hunger relief executives is that home delivery is an essential service that’s here to stay, particularly considering the needs of the aging population. The key will be to build home delivery into their budgets and to continue looking for innovative partnerships and funding avenues.