In the wake of COVID-19 – with over 30 million Americans unemployed and hunger on the rise – Amazon is donating delivery services to get millions of meals to tens of thousands of people in need
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul. 27, 2020-- Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced it has delivered more than 6 million meals with 7.4 million pounds of food since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to people in need in over 25 cities across the U.S.—with plans to deliver a million more meals by the end of summer.
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An Amazon Flex driver loads his vehicle with groceries from Bread for the City, a Washington, D.C. food pantry. Amazon is donating delivery services so that food can be brought directly to the homes of people in need. (Photo: Business Wire)
With communities facing record-high unemployment and many observing strict social distancing guidelines, food banks have experienced unprecedented demand. Amazon delivery drivers are stepping in to help by safely delivering meals directly to clients’ homes. Amazon has donated delivery services to food banks and community organizations since March through its Amazon Flex network and other delivery partners.
“Amazon has a longstanding commitment to addressing right now needs – with over $100 million in donations to homelessness, hunger, and disaster relief,” said Alice Shobe, Director of Amazon in the Community. “The pandemic intensified the need for hunger relief efforts, and Amazon is committed to playing our part by donating delivery services to help food banks and community organizations get meals to the doorsteps of people in need.”
“COVID-19 and the ensuing health and economic fallout has disrupted the lives of people all over the D.C. area, hitting those we serve hardest," said George A. Jones, CEO of Bread for the City, a Washington, D.C.-based food pantry supported by Amazon. "Amazon’s generous donation of delivery services has enabled us to reach even more of our families and seniors, helping ensure that they get the food they need to stay safe and healthy while maintaining social distancing."
With the pandemic and economic hardship still hitting communities across the country hard, Amazon is doubling down on our commitment – donating delivery services to serve a million more meals by the end of August. We’ve also piloted deliveries of hundreds of thousands of meals with Portland Public Schools and Seattle Public Schools, and delivered meals and devices for Los Angeles Unified School District. In Seattle, our deliveries are specifically for students who are medically fragile and have disabilities.
“Amazon has been a great community partner because they’ve helped to fill a gap that was a challenge for our normal operations,” said Seattle Public Schools Nutrition Services Director Aaron Smith. “Besides stepping up to help do so much, they did it with the passion and dedication that these students and families deserve.”
Amazon made food deliveries in over 25 U.S. cities, across more than 12 states nationwide including: Arizona (Phoenix); California (Los Angeles, Riverside, Anaheim, Long Beach, San Francisco, Oakland); Florida (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg); Maryland (Baltimore); Michigan (Detroit); New York (New York City); Ohio (Cincinnati, Cleveland); Oklahoma (Oklahoma City); Oregon (Portland); Tennessee (Nashville); Texas (Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth); Washington (Seattle); and Washington D.C.
Food deliveries are also taking place around the world in Melbourne, Tokyo, Singapore, Madrid, Valencia, and London. In U.K., Amazon teamed up with charity Magic Breakfast to help schools reach more children across the country at risk of hunger due to COVID-19 restrictions and deliver breakfast foods.
About Amazon in the Community
Amazon is committed to helping more children and young adults, especially those from underrepresented and underserved communities, have the resources and skills they need to build their best future. Amazon focuses on building long-term, innovative, and high impact programs that leverage Amazon’s unique assets and culture. Initiatives include Amazon Future Engineer, designed to inspire and excite tens of thousands of children and young adults from underserved and underrepresented communities each year to pursue computer science, as well as programs that support immediate needs, including addressing family homelessness through donations and housing a homeless shelter in its Seattle headquarters, as well as global relief efforts for people in need following natural disasters.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.
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