Helping close the hunger gap is one of Grubhub’s key community impact focus areas. With the support of the Grubhub Community Fund,* we serve as a community partner and industry leader in the effort to reduce food insecurity, and recover and redirect food that would otherwise go to waste. 

To recognize Hunger Action Month, a campaign designed to inspire people to take action and raise awareness of hunger in the United States, Grubhub is deepening our partnerships with organizations who are equally committed to closing the hunger gap on every level – from advocating for federal policies in Washington to supporting the communities we serve. 

At the national level, Grubhub supports and advocates for policies that combat food insecurity and strengthen federal feeding programs. This year, we engaged our restaurant partners in the fight against hunger through existing programs like the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act. We worked with our restaurants to educate them on updates made to the Act and provide guidance on how to safely donate excess food to communities in need. In partnership with Food Systems Collaborative, we submitted feedback on the Biden Administration’s first-ever National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss Waste and Organics, providing recommendations on how to make the food donation process more accessible and better leverage restaurants in the fight against food insecurity. 

Because expanding existing options and increasing opportunities to get affordable meals into the hands of those in need is a focal point for our federal work, we are also collaborating with policymakers to further support the modernization of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to expand access to meals in underserved areas across the country by leveraging innovating technologies. 

At the local level, we support neighborhoods and address food insecurity everywhere we operate, but specifically in our hometown of Chicago and in our largest market, New York City. Two of our key Grubhub Community Fund partners in this work include:

• The Greater Chicago Food Depository, a one-year Grubhub Community Fund partner that is a critical resource and advocate for those experiencing food insecurity in Chicagoland with a network of more than 800 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other programs.
• The Food Bank for New York City, a four-year Grubhub Community Fund partner supporting families and individuals across the five boroughs through its partner network of more than 800 local pantries and community organizations. 

In Chicago, we are partnering with the Greater Chicago Food Depository for Hunger Action Month as an anchor donor, providing $50,000 in matching funds for their September campaign and nearly $1 million in Grubhub Community Fund grant support since 2023. This funding aids the Food Depository’s partner network and prepared meals programs, in addition to helping distribute meals to local shelters working to house and support the influx of migrant families and individuals within the city.

This year, we hosted our first-ever office-wide volunteer day in our hometown of Chicago, where more than 100 Grubhub employees repacked shipments of 25,000 pounds of peppers, bread and beans into smaller quantities to help the Food Depository properly and efficiently distribute quality food to participating food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters in Cook County.

In New York City, Grubhub with support from the Grubhub Community Fund, returned as the Food Bank for New York City Hunger Action Month, providing $25,000 in matching funds to amplify September’s donations and more than $2 million in Grubhub Community fund grant support since 2020. This funding directly contributed to the scaling of the organization’s capacity to address critical needs across New York City’s five boroughs including program expansions, meal distributions, and partner network support. 

“At Grubhub, we are committed to being a resource and partner in standing up solutions that increase the accessibility to nutritious food and meals for individuals and families facing food insecurity,” said Brianna Morris, senior manager of community impact at Grubhub. “From advocating for new and improved food policies at the federal level to supporting regional and local food banks and pantries through the Grubhub Community Fund and employee volunteerism, our commitment to helping close the hunger gap stands strong to ensuring our neighbors and communities have access to the resources they need to thrive.”

Along with our work with Greater Chicago Food Depository and Food Bank for New York City, we also support additional food recovery efforts, and food distribution and meal programs though Grubhub Community Fund partnerships with:

• Foodrecovery.org 
• Full Plate Program grantees
• Nourishing Hope
• Rescuing Leftover Cuisine
• Tacombi Foundation 
• Union League Boys and Girls Clubs

As part of our year-round efforts to help close the hunger gap, we continuously look for ways to deepen and expand our community impact partnerships at all levels. We always keep our primary goal in mind to achieve the greatest real-world impact across all of our philanthropic focus areas, including how we support independent restaurants and create opportunities for individuals working in the hospitality industry.

*The Grubhub Community Fund is a donor advised fund at a national sponsoring organization. The Grubhub Community Fund is made possible through donations from our customers through our Donate the Change feature. Grubhub matches contributions on eligible orders from our Grubhub+ members.