DoorDash Teams Up With NICE To Provide Immigrants Vital Resources

NEW YORK CITY — The nonprofit New Immigrant Community Empowerment, which is dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable workers, and DoorDash, the food delivery service company, has teamed up to provide resources for Dashers across the Big Apple to help empower immigrant communities, the organizations announced Friday.

Dashers will have NICE-led programs focused on workforce development and engagement, bike and road safety education; tax support and financial empowerment; and pathways for women Dashers to have more earning opportunities, as well as townhalls were Dashers get to share their feedback. Resources will be available in Spanish and English, according to Doordash.

New York is the ultimate city of immigrants, according to Nilbia Coyote, executive director at NICE.

“Achieving a better future for New York’s immigrant communities will take like-minded organizations coming together to tackle the myriad challenges they face,”Coyote said in a prepared statement. “DoorDash will be a crucial partner to help bring to life these programs that will give a voice to immigrant workers across New Yorkers while contributing to the economic recovery of the city, and we are excited to work with them.”

In 2018, 4.4 million or nearly 25 percent of New York’s population was foreign born. The top countries of origin for immigrants were the Dominican Republic (11 percent of immigrants), China (9 percent), Mexico (5 percent), Jamaica (5 percent), and India (4 percent), according to the American Council Immigration Council.

In Queens, the World’s Borough, nearly 50 percent of the borough is made up of immigrants, according to the Queens Borough President’s Office.

Immigrant New Yorkers also make up 60 percent of the Big Apple, according to Manuel Castro, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.

“The partnership announced today is a critical step forward in addressing the unique barriers immigrant workers face and ensuring these individuals have the tools and resources to thrive,” Castro said in a statement. “I look forward to working with NICE, DoorDash, and other stakeholders from our communities as we pave a path forward for all immigrant New Yorkers.”

There will also be “Days of Action” events, which will include bike safety gear, Covid-19 tests and PPE distribution to members from New York from the DoorDash mobile unit.

Ivan Garcia, senior manager of public engagement at DoorDash, said it wants to work with NICE because of its proven track record of providing relief and vital resources to immigrant people.

“We’re deeply committed to helping Dashers excel in all aspects of their daily lives as part of our mission to empower local communities,” Garcia said in a statement. “We’re thrilled about this partnership to build on our efforts to support New York’s immigrant-rich communities through these incredibly important resources and services.”

For more information about DoorDash’s community engagement and ways to get involved, visit doordashimpact.com/community.

DoorDash did not information on its workers' backgrounds, according to a spokeswoman.