Instacart and the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) have launched the nonprofit’s Good Food at Home program in Washington, D.C., which will provide temporary grocery stipends and Instacart+ memberships for food-insecure households.
The San Francisco-based tech delivery company announced on Tuesday that it will make the program available to 500 families in D.C. wards 7 and 8, which has just three full-service grocery stores for 150,000 residents.
The program, which is made possible through Instacart’s partnerships with PHA, Building Bridges Across the River and Martha’s Table, will provide monthly stipends of $60 for three months to purchase produce through the Instacart app. Recipients will also receive a four-month complimentary membership to Instacart+, the company’s premium service that offers free delivery for orders over $35 and reduced service fees.
“With Instacart Health, we are harnessing our technology and scale to reimagine what the future of nutrition security and health can look like. Through our partnership with PHA, we are combining the power of online grocery and delivery, plus innovative programs like the Good Food At Home program to break down access barriers for families across the country,” said Dani Dudeck, chief corporate affairs officer at Instacart, in a statement.
D.C. is the second city where Instacart and PHA have launched the program. In early March, they rolled out the service in Indianapolis, through a partnership with the city. The delivery company said it has committed to work with PHA to provide 10 million servings of produce to those in need over the next three years.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said too many D.C. residents struggle with food insecurity, and the partnership with Instacart and PHA “underscores the power of public and private partnerships in addressing this critical issue.”
“Now, hundreds of Ward 7 and 8 families will have access to healthier foods, which is a critical step towards closing this equity gap in communities east of the river,” Schwalb said in a statement.
