Wright’s Market, located in Opelika, Alabama, is planning to pair in-person support with online grocery shopping to help fight food insecurity and boost e-commerce sales, reports Grocery Dive. The grocer has partnered with Auburn University on an initiative that will have university students help food-insecure seniors and parents with young children place online grocery orders. Wright’s Market will then deliver the orders to a centralized pickup location.
The Healthy Food Hotspots, which will launch later this year, aims to break down physical and digital barriers to grocery access and provide support to SNAP recipients as well. The university students will bring internet hotspots and devices to the shoppers who otherwise may be unable to order online.
“Broadband connectivity is a great challenge here now, as well as having devices that can allow for online shopping and redemption,” said Alicia Powers, managing director of the university’s Hunger Solutions Institute.
In addition, Powers noted that more than 1.8 million Alabama residents live in food deserts with limited access to grocery stores and 10 percent of the state’s senior citizen population is food insecure. Full Story
Related: Publix Creates Program to Alleviate Hunger; Aloha, Other B Corps to Help Chicago Schools.