“It’s a lifesaver, enabling us to bring food to seniors’ doors. Before DoorDash, we were under-serving seniors by thousands, and they were really struggling to get food.

“DoorDash pretty much saved the senior-box program in Pennsylvania.”

‘I came from starvation’

On Feb. 23, around 40 DoorDashers waited in their cars for Camille Carr, home-delivery program coordinator, to give them the go-ahead to enter the parking lot and load senior boxes.

“How are you today?” she greeted the drivers, many of whom speak only Spanish. Summoned by notifications on their smartphones by the same method they use to pick up meals from restaurants, a few drivers didn’t know what they’d be getting at Share.

But Frely Garo was an old hand at this. “This pickup is good for me for the money,” said Garo, 37 of Northeast Philadelphia as he loaded his Red Toyota hybrid with boxes. Most drivers take 10 boxes, but Garo was pushing in 20. “I’ve been doing this a long time,” he added, saying he likes “helping older folks.”

There was some discrepancy about how much drivers make. Some sources say they earn $2 a box from DoorDash, while others indicate it’s $5. DoorDash won’t discuss driver compensation.

Later that morning, people like Bela Hauser, 82, of Northeast Philadelphia, received their food.

“It comes right to my doorstep,” said Hauser, a widow who immigrated from Eastern Europe 60 years ago and now lives on a low, fixed income. “I benefit from these boxes.

“I came from starvation as a child. It feels good to get this food.”

For Matysik of Share, the DoorDash deliveries to Hauser and others are just the beginning.

“The ultimate goal,” he said, “is to someday be able to deliver food to all people in need, 24/7 — not just seniors.”

Matysik called it “a matter of dignity.”

He added, “We don’t want people waiting in line for an hour waiting for food. If we’re still doing that in five years, then we’ve failed.”

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