By Nancy Price
A Center Grove senior is helping homebound people in his community by providing a grocery delivering service for free.
Dylan Godsave, who has operated online businesses since he was a freshman, created South Side Delivers about three weeks ago in response to concerns about COVID-19.
“I have a team of people working with me and I was in a meeting and someone asked, ‘What are we doing about this pandemic?’ That’s when we started pondering and I came up with an idea. We thought about the resources we have and how we could use them for the greater good,” he said.
Godsave quickly built a website for the business and added locally owned businesses with products available for delivery as well. Customers may order face masks from Drop Shop; hats, T-shirts, hoodies and blankets from Coffey Connection Graphics & Apparel and bath bombs from Casual Cosmetics.
Godsave, along with about 30 high school and college students from Center Grove, deliver ordered items within one to two days. Drivers adhere to CDC guidelines by wearing gloves when picking up items from local stores, applying hand sanitizer every 10 minutes and sending an SMS message via text after dropping off deliveries to customers’ front porches.
“There’s a big need for what we’re doing,” Godsave said. “That’s what drives us to do our best. We’ve received exceptional feedback through the community. A lot of people ask how they can help. I try to push local businesses. They are needing help.”
South Side Delivers accommodates one order per household per week; there are no deliveries on weekends. A delivery map can be found on the website: southsidedelivers.com.
The business will continue to operate as long as there’s a need during stay-at-home orders through the government and health officials, according to Godsave.
