'Just magic': A delivery driver shares her experience partnering with a food bank

“When I deliver for Three Square, I absolutely feel amazing knowing I’m part of something bigger than me,” said Shelby, driver with DoorDash. “The gratefulness that you see in people that we deliver to … I don’t know how many times I hear people say thank you. And that resonates throughout the rest of my day.”

Shelby has been delivering through the DoorDash for Families program with Three Square Food Bank, a Feeding America partner, for about a year. “When I first got the first order, I was like, what is this? It says eight places on here. And then I pull up and I’m like, okay … they’re feeding everyone. This seems like this is amazing. And so from there it was just magic,” she said.

The work feels different from regular deliveries. “Knowing that I’m being part of bringing food to families during the summer along side Three Square and Feeding America is so fulfilling,” Shelby said.

She added that the team at Three Square makes the experience even stronger. “The volunteers … just great spirits, you know, it’s early in the morning … but when I pull up to Three Square Food Bank, that’s exactly what you get. It’s so amazing — their energy, their thankfulness. They’re prepared, they’re organized … and when there’s a need, it’s an immediate response.”

The neighbors she meets also leave an impression. “They’re so grateful. I can’t put into words the gratefulness that you see,” Shelby said. “Even the elderly people, they’re so amazing. The conversations that I had … you see people’s strength.”

For Shelby, each delivery reinforces the importance of the program and her role in it. “When I deliver for Three Square … I feel filled,” she said. “Anything that happens throughout the day is just like, oh, that’s nothing — because I started my morning delivering those boxes.”