[LyftUP & Non-profits]
Lyft will provide free ride credits to these organizations through LyftUp, Lyft’s comprehensive effort to expand transportation access to those who need it most.
Photo: Twitter
Lyft announced its partnering with non-profits to provide essential transportation services.
Lyft today announced it is partnering with several New York-based non-profit organizations to provide access to transportation for seniors, essential workers, patients with important medical appointments and other communities in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lyft will provide free ride credits to these organizations through LyftUp, Lyft’s comprehensive effort to expand transportation access to those who need it most. In addition to helping those in need, the partnerships will create new opportunities for drivers and help distribute essential goods during the pandemic.
Lyft is partnering with Invisible Hands to provide rides for volunteers delivering food to seniors; National Supermarket Association (NSA) and Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) to provide rides for seniors to get groceries during designated “senior/elderly hours;” Queens Community House (QCH) to provide rides for employees working in its senior center and food pantry; Ronald McDonald House New York to provide rides to patients to get to necessary medical appointments; Women in Need (Win) to provide rides for women in shelters to grocery stores and their places of employment; and World Central Kitchen (WCK) to provide rides for staff and volunteers who run satellite food distribution points around the city.
“It’s great to see Lyft helping to fill the crucial transportation gaps for the many community organizations who need them filled. This is corporate responsibility in action,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer.
“We want to increase access to transportation for those who need it, particularly to meet their essential needs during this time. By activating LyftUp, we’re able to work with a number of local partners to fill mobility needs and increase food access for our community,” said Jen Hensley, Lyft’s Senior Director of Public Policy, New York. “We’re grateful to all those who drive with Lyft for helping provide rides for those in need. Lyft is committed to supporting drivers by creating new opportunities to help them earn additional income through the Lyft app, while continuously working to protect driver safety.”
Ben Thomases, Executive Director of Queens Community House, said “Queens Community House’s number one priority at this time is the safety of our employees and participants. While the majority of staff are working from home, a select few continue to commute every day to serve our most vulnerable neighbors. Lyft’s generous gift helps reduce the likelihood that these essential workers will come in contact with the virus on public transportation and provides some peace of mind to us all.”
“We are beyond grateful to the LyftUp campaign which is helping us in maintaining a safe and supportive environment for our families as they get to and from their medical appointments at our partnering hospitals,” said RMH-NY President & CEO Ruth C. Browne.
“Win’s staff has been working around the clock to keep our families safe and healthy, and many of our moms continue to go into work every day in order to support themselves and their children. As we confront the challenges of this outbreak, we are so grateful to Lyft for their generous contribution to help our clients and staff to safely get where they need to go,” said Christine Quinn, President and CEO of Win, the largest provider of shelter to women and families in New York City.
Partner organizations will be responsible for distributing the ride codes, which can then be input directly in the Lyft app.
ABOUT LYFT
Lyft was founded in 2012 by Logan Green and John Zimmer to improve people’s lives with the world’s best transportation and is available to 95 percent of the United States population as well as select cities in Canada. Lyft is committed to effecting positive change for our cities and making cities more livable for everyone through initiatives that bridge transportation gaps, and by promoting transportation equity through shared rides, bikeshare systems, electric scooters, and public transit partnerships.
ABOUT INVISIBLE HANDS
Invisible Hands is a group of engaged volunteers from communities at the least risk for severe COVID-19 reactions working to bring groceries and supplies to those in high-risk demographics. Invisible Hands is focused most prominently on the elderly, disabled, and immunocompromised, but is available to help anyone in need.
ABOUT NATIONAL SUPERMARKET ASSOCIATION
Founded in 1989 by Hispanic entrepreneurs, the NSA is a trade association that represents the interest of independent supermarket owners in New York and other urban cities throughout the East coast, Mid-Atlantic region and Florida. Beginning in the mid-seventies, these entrepreneurs had the courage of opening supermarkets in areas abandoned by the large chains, as they were economically depressed and mostly minority neighborhoods. These men and women had the vision and the commitment to fill a vacuum in those communities, at a time when the term “food desert” had not even been coined. Currently, many NSA members continue to serve those areas by offering healthy foods and full service supermarkets.
ABOUT OLDER ADULTS TECHNOLOGY SERVICES (OATS)
Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) harnesses the power of technology to change the way we age.
ABOUT QUEENS COMMUNITY HOUSE (QCH)
Founded in 1975, Queens Community House, is a multi-site nonprofit organization that offers a wide network of comprehensive services to individuals, families, and communities throughout Queens. From 32 sites in 14 neighborhoods, QCH helps thousands of Queens residents to thrive in school, make healthy life choices, succeed in educating themselves, become engaged citizens, stabilize their housing situations, and make the most of their senior years. Learn more at www.qchnyc.org.
ABOUT RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE NEW YORK
Ronald McDonald House® New York is keeping families close by providing temporary housing for pediatric cancer patients and their families in a strong, supportive and caring environment that encourages and nurtures the development of child-to-child and parent-to-parent support systems. The House can accommodate 95 families. Its location in Manhattan, in close proximity to major cancer treatment centers, draws children and families from across the country and the world, as well as from the metropolitan New York City area. Since its founding, more than 59,000 families have stayed at the House. The House partners with 16 leading t hospitals in the New York City area, including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, NYU Langone Medical Center, and New York-Presbyterian Hospital’s Weill Cornell Medical Center and Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. The House is a proud Chapter of the national and international network of Ronald McDonald House Charities. For more information, visit www.rmh-newyork.org.
ABOUT WOMEN IN NEED (WIN)
Win was founded in 1983 as a shelter for women and their children, and has risen to become New York City’s largest provider of shelter and services for homeless families with children. Win serves more than 10,000 people each year, including more than 6,000 children and youth, across its family shelters and supportive housing. Fifty-one percent of people living in Win shelters are employed, and 86 percent of Win mothers raising families have a high school diploma or lower accreditation. Win supports families who on average earn significantly less than the threshold of low income, defined as earning 30 percent or less than $24,500, the area median income for a family of three in New York City.4 Win provides safe housing, programs, and services for individuals who are consistently left out of society. Their programs allow participants to break the cycle of poverty and succeed independently. Christine Quinn became the CEO of Win in November of 2015. She previously served as the Speaker of the City Council from 2006 to 2013.
ABOUT WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN (WCK)
Founded in 2010 by Chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen (WCK) uses the power of food to strengthen communities through times of crisis and beyond. WCK has transformed the field of disaster response to help devastated communities recover and establish resilient food systems. Since its founding, WCK has served more than 12 million meals to those impacted by natural disasters and other crises around the world in countries including Albania, The Bahamas, Colombia, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Mozambique, Venezuela, and the United States. Learn more at WCK.org.
