Originally published on Cruise.
What could we achieve if companies made social impact core to their business strategy?
That question has guided Cruise’s social impact philosophy from the start. The answer is stretching our conceptions of how AVs can and should serve our communities -- and how quickly we could make an impact.
When COVID-19 first hit and food insecurity skyrocketed in San Francisco, it became clear we could make an immediate positive contribution with our fleet. We decided the most effective way to support our neighbors was to plug in with community organizations who had expertise fighting food insecurity. As a result, we launched two long-term partnerships in early 2020, with the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank and the SF New Deal, to deliver meals to residents in need, while also helping local restaurants. Nearly two and a half years later, our fleet of AVs has now delivered more than two million meals (and counting) to residents most in need in San Francisco, as part of our signature social impact program, Cruise for Good.
Yesterday, we were humbled that the San Francisco Business Times recognized Cruise with the 2022 ‘Beyond the Check’ Award in the Community Impact category. This award is the result of collaboration between many people and many teams – across multiple organizations. While we're proud of our commitment to uplifting the communities where we operate, we wanted to take this opportunity to acknowledge our partners, the SF New Deal and San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, and share more about what we’ve learned through these partnerships. After all, it’s their willingness and commitment to innovate with us, respond quickly to community needs, and adapt to evolving pandemic dynamics that have made this collective impact possible.
What we’ve accomplished together, so far
Together, we have delivered 2.2 million meals to residents across San Francisco. What does that number look like when broken down? It equates to 120,000 deliveries, 80% of which are delivered to zip codes below the poverty line. And because our fleet is all electric, and powered by 100% renewable energy, we’ve offset more than 100 metric tons of CO2 emissions.
Many of our deliveries with the SF New Deal also support local, small businesses, like Old Skool Cafe, a San Francisco restaurant that also provides workforce training for justice involved youth.
Learn more about Cruise's innovation through partnership and their commitment to social impact here.
