The City of Chelsea, MA is offering food deliveries and assistance for anyone experiencing financial hardship and under quarantine. Residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 or anyone else who is quarantining are eligible to receive a box of assorted veggies, fruit and other healthy groceries.
QRyde coordinates food pickup and drop off Monday through Friday. Deliveries are booked electronically by the City using the QRyde Community Portal. Drivers pick up prepacked food boxes from a central location (pictured), and deliver it to families using the route provided on their mobile app. When the driver approaches the drop-off location, the recipient receives an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and SMS. To ensure safety for drivers and recipients, all deliveries are contact free. Drivers also use their mobile app to document the drop-off by taking a photo of the delivery.
QRyde is also used to determine the number of boxes to be delivered based on the family size. On an average day, 30-80 boxes of food are delivered to those in need, with some days exceeding 100 boxes. Since the City began utilizing QRyde, the program’s efficiency has risen by up to 83%. QRyde’s scheduling platform reduced the number of vehicles necessary from 2-6 vehicles to just 1-2. This lowers operating costs for the City as well as reduces the carbon footprint of the program.