A nonprofit is raising money to start its free delivery service for people with disabilities.
Delivery Foundation, Lazy Delivery’s nonprofit entity, launched its organization Monday to provide free delivery services to people with physical disabilities or chronic conditions that prevent them from getting around easily, according to a press release.
But before the Delivery Foundation can begin providing its free services, it needs $5,000.
The Delivery Foundation, while separate from Lazy Delivery, will work similarly to the company.
The foundation’s team is made up of four UF students and Lazy Delivery Co-Founder Daniel Zelaya.
The group first thought of the idea for Delivery Foundation in January, Marketing Director Patricia Potestades said.
“One thing that we noticed ... is that we have a lot of customers who have disabilities, and those were the people who were our most loyal customers,” Potestades said. “(So) we decided we wanted to give back to these people.”
Gainesville residents with physical disabilities and chronic conditions who want to take advantage of the free delivery service must first apply to the Delivery Foundation, according to the press release. Once accepted, they create a Lazy Delivery account and use the site like regular customers.
But unlike Lazy Delivery, which operates in three Florida cities, Delivery Foundation will only provide services in Gainesville.
To cover the costs of free delivery, the Foundation will rely on donations, Potestades said.
Joy and Kat Drawdy, owners of Earth Pets, a pet food and supply store in Gainesville, were the first to donate to Delivery Foundation.
“They’re just awesome,” Joy said of the team. “Really, it was just about the company and the people that came in and talked to us. They were just really, really nice, and it’s a great service, and it’s great what they’re doing.”
Delivery Foundation will begin providing free deliveries in May if it receives enough funds.
As of press time, the foundation’s Indiegogo account has received three donations totaling $55.
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 4/7/2015 under the headline “Free delivery service for people with disabilities raising funds”]
