Instacart teams with Maryland County to alleviate food insecurity, support local grocers with ‘groundbreaking,' replicable MC Groceries program
This morning, Montgomery County, Md., government and Instacart unveiled a “groundbreaking” public-private partnership that will leverage Instacart’s Health Fresh Funds and Virtual Storefronts technology to disburse up to $1.8 million in online grocery stipends from the county to area families who earn too much money to qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program but too little to consistently afford nutritious food.
According to Montgomery County research, a family of four living in the area needs to earn nearly $120,000 annually to cover food, childcare, housing and other basic necessities – a tall order that local households with at least 36,000 children combined cannot meet, resulting in widespread food insecurity.
The MC Groceries program, created by Instacart and Montgomery County following a special appropriation in the government’s fiscal 2024 budget for the Office of Food Systems Resilience, will help close this “SNAP gap,” by giving participating families $100 per month per child under the age of 18 years up to $400 in Instacart Health Fresh Funds.
The online grocery stipends can be used to buy food and other essentials for delivery or pickup from the more than 80 grocery stores across 20 banners in Montgomery County that partner with Instacart.
‘Dignity of choice is crucial’: Instacart technology offers convenience without restriction
To simplify the shopping experience, Montgomery County uses Instacart’s Virtual Storefront technology to create a custom landing page featuring healthy choices selected by the county for purchase with the stipend, including fresh and frozen produce, meat, dairy, pantry essentials and more. While there are some restrictions, such as alcohol, on what the stipends cover, participants are not restricted to only the items promoted on the MC Groceries Virtual Storefront.
“When we think about food access solutions, dignity of choice is crucial,” Casey Aden-Wansbury, VP of policy and government affairs at Instacart, told FoodNavigator-USA. “That has been a key consideration for us as we have built our Instacart Health technologies. That is, how do we not just give people food but empower them to choose the foods that are right for their families and meet their unique tastes, budget, cultural preferences and health needs.”
Aden-Wansbury added, “With our Instacart Health Fresh Funds tool, for example -- which is one of the technologies the county is using to power this program -- individuals can choose the exact food items that meet their family’s needs from the local retailers they know and trust. It’s through that dignity of choice and individual empowerment that we can build lasting, sustainable solutions to improve nutrition security."
Likewise, because of Instacart’s delivery capabilities, participants may have more choices of where to shop as they can order from stores that may not have been easily accessible in person.
“We know hunger and nutrition security are often linked to health and mobility challenges, transportation barriers, time constraints and more. And that is where we have seen the unique power of online grocery and delivery play such an important role for families who may not be able to get to a store in person,” Aden-Wansbury explained.
Noting a recent study conducted by Instacart, No Kid Hungry and the University of Kentucky, Aden-Wansbury added online grocery helps lower-income families manage their budgets, save time, reduce stress and purchase healthier food.
“That is why we were so impressed with Montgomery County’s ingenuity and foresight when it came to addressing these challenges holistically and their vision to leverage the power of online grocery and delivery to support local families,” Aden-Wansbury added.
MC Groceries is a template for supporting families, local grocers and economy
The program – and public-private partnership – came together in late 2023 after Montgomery County learned about Instacart Health tools and technology, including its Fresh Funds (or online grocery stipend capabilities) and Virtual Storefronts, which launched in 2022.
County officials and Instacart worked closely – and quickly – to design the MC Groceries program to help alleviate food insecurity felt by Montgomery Country residents who have a household income at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, do not receive SNAP benefits and have at least one child under 18 years.
In less than a month since the program launched, MC Groceries participants have placed more than 700 grocery orders with more than 12,000 nutritious food and beverage items using their Instacart Health Fresh Funds, according to Instacart.
“While every state, county and community faces unique food access challenges, we believe this partnership between Instacart and Montgomery County represents a model that can be tailored and replicated to support families living with food insecurity all across the country. It shows how local expertise and government ingenuity, when combined with our Instacart Health technology, can create new and sustainable solutions to longstanding food access and nutrition security challenges,” Aden-Wansbury said.
“We know from our conversations that many government leaders are looking for innovative solutions on these issues,” Aden-Wansbury added. “We stand ready to work with any government official who is looking to address these challenges in their communities, and I would encourage them to reach out to me or our team anytime.”
The partnership with Montgomery County is just one example of how Instacart is leveraging its technology to address nutrition insecurity in the US in partnership with local governments, non-profits, academia and the private sector.
For example, Instacart also recently expanded Instacart Health Fresh Funds to support more than 1,000 families living with food insecurity in Chicago, New Orleans and Wichita, Kan., through its work with Partnership for a Healthier America.
