Coronavirus Update: New Jersey Parking App Boxcar Transforms Into Grocery Delivery App
MADISON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) — Going to buy groceries has become a difficult errand for many around the tri-state area because of the spread of coronavirus.
Shelves at grocery stores continue to run bare and it's extremely difficult to secure a grocery delivery window because of COVID-19.
On Wednesday, a New Jersey based app creator named Joe Colangelo got one step closer to solving this problem with his app Boxcar.
"Customers pre-order their groceries through our app and they're going to drive through," said Colangelo in an interview with CBS2's Nina Kapur. "We're going to give them their groceries right in their trunk. There's no cash or credit card or touching at all."
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Colangelo founded the app Boxcar to create more commuter parking across New Jersey. Residents and businesses can use it to rent out open driveways or parking lots.
Now, residents in Madison, New Jersey, can use the app to reserve and pick up a grocery box at the town's commuter lot. Each box contains eggs, milk and romaine lettuce, among other fruits and vegetables.
Boxcar partnered with Gargiulo Produce, of Hillside. The company that typically caters to restaurants and cruise ships recently found itself with no clients, only a surplus of food.
"The real goal of this is if it works, then we can bring in other vendors," said Colangelo. "We can bring in the local coffee shop, the local bagel shop and we can allow them to use our system to also sell their products."
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Monica Gargiulo says the partnership is helping her family-run company stay afloat and make sure fresh food doesn't go to waste.
"Right now with people waiting two, three, four weeks even for grocery deliveries, we're thrilled to be able to get fresh produce and dairy into their homes," said Gargiulo.
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Both partners hope to expand the operation to serve different towns every week.
For more information how you can request a pick-up in your town or reserve a box, visit platform.boxcarapp.com/listings/269/reserve.
