Instacart partners with Maryland county to fight childhood hunger
Instacart and Montgomery County, Md. are launching a first-of-its-kind initiative to provide monthly stipends for online grocery shopping and delivery.
The grocery technology company’s Instacart Health initiative designed to promote access to healthy grocery and produce items is teaming up with Montgomery County in a new program designed to increase food security and combat childhood hunger.
The new program, called MC Groceries, uses Instacart Health Fresh Funds grocery stipends to provide nearly 600 Montgomery County families living with food insecurity, including more than 1,000 children, a monthly Fresh Funds stipend to shop for groceries online from local stores available on Instacart.
[READ MORE: Instacart offers health-driven shopping options]
Each participating family receives $100/month per child (0-18) — up to a maximum monthly stipend of $400 for households with four or more children — for a full year.
"At Instacart, we’re using our technology to solve some of the most complex food access challenges for families and communities," said Casey Aden-Wansbury, VP of policy & government affairs at Instacart. "We’re proud to partner with Montgomery County to help launch this pioneering food access program, ensuring more families can access the nutritious food they need. Through public-private partnerships like these, we can help end childhood hunger and foster more equitable access to nutritious food in every community."
Eligible families can use their Fresh Funds stipends to purchase food and beverages from local retailers, including fresh and frozen produce, meat, dairy and pantry essentials. The county has also rolled out a custom virtual storefront on the Instacart platform.
More than 80 grocery stores in Montgomery County are available via Instacart, many of which offer delivery and pick-up options. From any given location within the county, eligible families can use their Fresh Funds to access grocery delivery from at least 20 different retail banners.
The MC Groceries program is specifically designed to expand food access for households not eligible to receive federal SNAP benefits but still do not earn enough to cover necessities, including consistent access to nutritious food.
MC Groceries is the largest Instacart Health government partnership to date. Instacart is also the inaugural corporate sponsor of the Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger, working with mayors from across the country to support initiatives that combat childhood hunger.
Based in San Francisco, Instacart partners with more than 1,500 national, regional, and local retail banners to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from more than 85,000 stores across North America on the Instacart Marketplace.
