Uber Inc has been delivering free Passover meals to the survivors of Holocaust as people continue to face difficulties in this time.
The spread of coronavirus pandemic is preventing many families from seeing each other, and even during religious holidays like Passover, which started on Wednesday. A nonprofit is making sure the most vulnerable individuals who can’t leave their houses can still observe the holiday. The Met Council has teamed up with Uber to provide free Passover meals to housebound Holocaust survivors located in New York City.
Many Holocaust survivors are now in their 80s or 90s, and that puts them in the most vulnerable age group for coronavirus. Seniors over the age of 65 have been told to self-quarantine at home and many cannot even go out for the essentials, such as groceries.
For those living in poverty, it’s even more difficult.
Volunteers and Uber Eats drivers, provided by Uber for free or at a discounted rate, has the Met Council deliver hundreds meals before Passover.
This is part of Uber’s goal to give 10 million free rides and food deliveries for those who are in need during coronavirus crisis. Uber started by giving free rides and meals to health care workers, and has now provided over 300,000 free meals to first responders and rides to other frontline workers.
“It feels good to give back to the community,” said Sheldon Samuels, an Uber Eats driver. “I just want to do my part to help people. it’s very compelling to help people from the Holocaust.”
On Friday, Uber Eats drivers like Samuels started picking up the boxes at a distribution center located in South Brooklyn and delivering them to homes across the borough. They will keep doing the same until Tuesday. Seniors don’t need a smartphone to order the boxes themselves, because Met Council is making arrangements for everything for them.
About 469,121 people in the US have been confirmed as being infected with the coronavirus. The virus has killed 16,676 people in the country.
