Making spirits bright: United Way BC’s Food Link and DoorDash deliver holiday hope in Burnaby 

Holidays are a time of celebration, and, for some, considerable stress. Over the past few years many British Columbians have struggled to put food on the table. In BC, over 1.1 million people, 22% of our province’s residents, lack consistent access to sufficient nutritious food. It’s not only the high cost of food that’s affecting people, but also transportation challenges. If you don’t have a vehicle or driver’s license, aren’t on a bus route or have mobility issues, it’s very difficult.  

Thanks to United Way BC’s Food Link initiative and our partnership with DoorDash’s Project DASH, an on-demand delivery service, Burnaby residents and participants of the Don’t Go Hungry through Trinity Presbyterian Church Edmonds can get the food and essentials they need to enjoy this holiday season. 

Through Food Link by United Way BC, non-profit organizations from across the province like Don’t Go Hungry through Trinity Presbyterian Church Edmonds, which serves Burnaby and New Westminster residents in need, submit their home delivery needs. From there, the Food Link team uploads these requests to the DoorDash platform and a driver is assigned to the home delivery route. 

Working together 

“Our partnership with United Way BC and DoorDash has been instrumental in helping us address a critical need at Don’t Go Hungry in Burnaby. While we have always aimed to support community members unable to pick up their food hampers in person, our limited capacity prevented us from offering home deliveries. Through this collaboration, we are now able to provide weekly deliveries to those who need them most. This partnership has significantly expanded our reach and impact in the Burnaby community, and we are grateful for the support that has made this possible,”

– Karen, Don’t Go Hungry volunteer. 

Thanks to this partnership, participants who can’t collect their hampers from the Burnaby-based Food Program have received 141 deliveries. 

For DoorDash drivers like Michael working with United Way BC and other non-profits, the partnership means he can give back in a fulfilling way. “Dashing not only helps me support my family, it allows me to serve members of my community who are in need. It makes me feel proud each time I get to fulfill a delivery through Project DASH.”  

Ride United 

United Way BC is the only Canadian non-profit to partner with Door Dash on the Ride United Last Mile Delivery program, which helps ensure that essential food items reach individuals and families in need, particularly older adults, people with disabilities, those who lack reliable transportation or people who are not able to access items on their own. 

“United Way BC’s partnership with DoorDash means we can ease that burden by connecting people with the essentials they need in a timely manner. Thanks to our Food Link initiative, which brings together nonprofit partners like the Don’t Go Hungry through Trinity Presbyterian Church Edmonds and DoorDash, we can deliver to their clients supporting their health and well-being at the same time freeing up non-profits up to do other critical work to support their communities.”

– Alžběta Sabová, Director, Food Security at United Way BC. 

UNITED for food security 

United Way BC’s Food Link initiative is an app linking 174 community service agencies across BC and those in need with food and other basic needs. Between April and November 2024, Food Link provided 499 deliveries of food and period products to people in need across BC. Thirteen per cent of those who have received deliveries are folks with disabilities, and approximately 60 per cent are seniors. 

Project DASH is DoorDash’s initiative to power delivery on behalf of food banks and pantries, community action agencies, and other social impact organizations to deliver food and essential items to people experiencing food insecurity. Since 2018, Project DASH has powered more than 6 million deliveries, including more than 100 million meals delivered to households in the U.S. and Canada. 

United Way BC’s Food Link and DoorDash partnership operates in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, the Southern Interior, the Thompson Nicola Cariboo, and Northern BC. The partnership will expand to Vancouver Island in 2025. 

Learn more about how Food Link and our other food security initiatives are making a difference for our communities.