Instacart recently debuted a Community Carts campaign and an extension of its discounted Instacart+ membership for SNAP recipients to help families put nutritious food on the table as emergency COVID-19 SNAP benefits expire in 32 states.
For more than 30 million people, the expiration means grocery budgets will decrease by $95 per month. As a result, many local food banks that are already facing supply shortages amid rising food prices are now bracing for a surge in demand for assistance.
To help food banks stock their shelves and ensure those seeking assistance can find it, Instacart is expanding its Community Carts initiative and launching a public awareness campaign to help drive donations to food banks in nearly every state where emergency SNAP funding is expiring. Instacart’s Community Carts tool allows users to donate the grocery items their local food banks have identified they need most.
Beginning Wednesday, users can donate food items to almost 100 Feeding America member food banks in 31 states where emergency SNAP funds will expire at the end of the month. That is in addition to 24 food banks in 16 states where additional SNAP allotments have already expired. In total, this will increase the program’s reach to 120 food banks in 47 states, with delivery and service fees waived on every donation order.
“Our goal is to put more food on the table for more families,” said Instacart chief corporate affairs officer Dani Dudeck in a statement. “As grocery budgets tighten for millions of SNAP recipients and lines stretch longer at food banks across the country, accessing affordable, nutritious food has never been harder. At Instacart, we’re committed to finding more ways to support food banks nationwide so they can continue to serve their communities and feed more families.”
Instacart is also extending its discounted Instacart+ membership program for SNAP recipients. Under the program, anyone who uses an EBT SNAP card to buy groceries on Instacart is eligible for a discounted Instacart+ membership at $4.99 per month for 12 months.
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