16 | MAY 7 • 2020
New Volunteer Delivery App Launches
LAUREN HOFFMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Jews in the D
A
New York-based com-
pany called Umbrella is
offering a new service
to combat the realities of iso-
lation, and it has just launched
that service in Detroit.
Before COVID, Umbrella
was running a marketplace
app connecting adults over 60
with a network of gig econo-
my workers who would run
errands and do household
tasks for them: such as picking
up prescriptions or helping to
clean out gutters. Operating in
New York, New Jersey and in
Florida, it charged an annual
membership fee plus an hourly
fee for the length of each task
completed.
Now, in the era of fraught
grocery store visits, when
leaving one’
s house can feel
like suiting up for battle, they
are doing something new.
Umbrella is using its technol-
ogy to mobilize volunteers to
fetch groceries, prescriptions
and household items for
seniors, and deliver them in
CDC-recommended, safe and
contactless ways. Delivery is
free. The the 60+ user covers
the cost of the items delivered
and may chip in a donation,
but is not required to pay any-
thing for delivery services.
This comes at a time when
few grocery delivery services
in Metro Detroit (Instacart
and Shipt) have seen histor-
ic demand and are almost
entirely unavailable. For folks
over 60 looking for items to be
delivered, this is a godsend.
Lindsay Ullman, the CEO of
Umbrella, said, “We look for-
ward to doing our part to help
make navigating this pandemic
a little bit easier for older adults
in Detroit. If we can relieve
some of the fear and anxiety
that people have about how to
get groceries, medications and
other essentials while staying
home, that’
s our goal. “
Umbrella rolled out its
volunteer delivery service
in the three new markets of
Metro Detroit, Birmingham,
Alabama and Cleveland, Ohio,
in partnership with Venture for
America, a national entrepre-
neurship fellowship that helps
connect recent college gradu-
ates (including, three years ago,
the author of this article) with
startup jobs in cities across
the US, including those three
markets.
VFA is helping Umbrella to
build their volunteer forces in
those cities to meet demand.
Sign up to volunteer at askumbrella.
com/volunteer. Request a delivery at
askumbrella.com/request-delivery or
by calling (844) 402-2480 between
9 a.m.- 6 p.m., Monday-Friday.
I
nvisible Hands, a nonprofit
organization started at the
onset of the COVID-19
pandemic by two friends in
New York, delivers groceries
and other goods to vulnerable
members of the community.
Now, Ben McColl, a freshman
at Michigan State University
and a member of Temple
Israel, is hoping to expand that
outreach to Metro Detroit.
“Right now, we’
re in the ini-
tial stages of it. We’
re trying to
recruit a big base of volunteers
in the Metro Detroit area,
”
McColl said.
Once the chapter is
launched, people who need
groceries or other supplies will
fill out a delivery form request
online. The organization will
match requests with a volun-
teer who lives nearby.
Volunteers will call to con-
firm the delivery and ensure
they are shopping at the right
store and picking up the exact
items needed. People can
coordinate payment by calling
ahead to the grocery store,
cash or by reimbursing the
volunteer through a cash app
after the delivery is complete.
All volunteers are required
to wear a mask and gloves
while shopping, wipe down
the grocery bags before
delivery and are asked to use
self-checkouts if possible.
Volunteer will drop off
items at the person’
s home and
ring the doorbell to let them
know their items have arrived.
They will then step 6 feet away
to ensure the person gets their
order and have a friendly con-
versation.
McColl needs at least
200 volunteers to launch.
He’
s a handful of volunteers
away from meeting his goal.
Volunteers can participate in
grocery pickups and deliver-
ies or stay at home to handle
phone calls and other duties.
“This small gesture can go
a long way in making some-
one’
s day. Participating in this
type of organization can help
others in the community who
may not be able to do it them-
selves,
” McColl said.
To volunteer, visit https://tinyurl.com/
yaghgctp.
CORRIE COLF STAFF WRITER
Offering ‘
Invisible Hands’
Front-
Door
Deliveries
These new services aim to
help get food and supplies
to those who can’
t get out
on their own.
AMONG THE EMOTIONS
many of us are experiencing
right now, a shared sense of
isolation is emerging as a
common theme. For some,
that sense of isolation is inten-
sifi
ed because it is, practically
speaking, quite real. Especially
for older adults, who may be
choosing between physical
safety at home and venturing
out to get much-needed food
and supplies. Here are some
new options for those who
might need help — and vol-
unteer opportunities for those
who would like to lend a hand.
VIA UMBRELLA FACEBOOK