Dive Brief:
- Instacart announced Thursday that it has partnered with Montgomery County, Maryland, to launch a new program that uses online grocery technology and public funding to address childhood hunger and support families facing food insecurity.
- The program allowed nearly 600 Montgomery County families to recently sign up and start receiving monthly Instacart Health Fresh Funds stipends that they can redeem on Instacart for grocery items. The county also launched a virtual storefront on Instacart to urge participants to buy nutritious foods.
- Instacart said its work with Montgomery County — one of the largest counties in the United States — marks Instacart Health’s largest government partnership to date.
Dive Insight:
Instacart said the new program takes aim at the “SNAP Gap.”
While the “SNAP Gap” often refers to eligible people not enrolled in the federal nutrition assistance program, it can also refer to people who earn just over the qualifying amount for the program yet don’t make enough to consistently afford healthy food, Casey Aden-Wansbury, vice president of policy and government affairs at Instacart, wrote in a blog post.
With the new program, participating families will receive $100 per month in Instacart Health Fresh Funds for each child under the age of 18 — up to $400 per month — for a full year. Instacart said that it reaches all zip codes in the county.
Montgomery County made an investment of up to $1.8 million to support the program, Instacart said.
“By providing families with both public financial support and technological access to more easily put food on the table, this new program is helping alleviate childhood hunger and breaking down barriers that have historically impeded the health and wellness of vulnerable communities,” Aden-Wansbury wrote in the blog.
Instacart said the program is the first in the country in which a government provides online food stipends via Instacart directly to families grappling with food insecurity.
“While every state, county, and municipality faces unique food access challenges, this partnership between Instacart and Montgomery County represents a model that can be tailored and replicated to support families living with lower incomes and other vulnerable populations in communities across the country,” Aden-Wansbury said.
