United Way of CSRA Launches Last Mile Delivery Program for Emergency Food
United Way of the CSRA has launched a new service that will help bring food to those in need, thanks to a partnership with DoorDash and Golden Harvest.
“Ride United: Last Mile Delivery” is a worldwide United Way program, but it’s just getting off the ground in the Augusta area, according to a video President and CEO Brittany Burnett did with AugustaCEO.com.
The program works by calling the 2-1-1 Helpline and requesting emergency food services.
The program is working on the heels of another successful United Way program that provides transportation services to people through a Lyft partnership.
By calling 211, people living in Columbia and Richmond counties can get free Lyft rides. The program helps locals get to important places like work, doctor’s appointments, schools, and food banks.
“Each month, we receive hundreds of calls to our 211 Helpline,” said Brittany Burnett, President and CEO, United Way of the CSRA, to Augusta CEO. “Our information and referral specialists connect callers to the resources they need, but callers sometimes face transportation barriers, including lack of access to a vehicle or reliable public transportation, or due to lack of funds for a rideshare when trying to access these resources.”
The service runs on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. People can call 2-1-1 or 706-826-1492 to ask for a ride. Using Lyft’s system, rides can be booked immediately or scheduled up to a week in advance.
To utilize this program, users must have no way to pay for transportation and must have no other transportation options. They’ll need to give basic information — like how to contact them and where they’re going — to book a ride.
Once booked, riders get texts updating them about their ride. These messages tell them who their driver is and what car to look for. Getting back home is easy too — they just need to click a button in a text to set up their return trip.
GM supported this program with a huge $500 million investment in Lyft. They’re working together to create self-driving cars across the country.
Since it started in February 2021, this program has helped fill an important need. It helps people who don’t own cars or can’t access bus routes. The program is part of a bigger nationwide effort that’s given rides to 56,000 people in more than 3,200 communities.
