Instacart and Montgomery County partner to deliver food assistance to struggling families
BETHESDA, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - Montgomery County has teamed up with Instacart to launch a new, first-of-its-kind program aimed at tackling food insecurity and childhood hunger.
The MC Groceries initiative will provide nearly 600 local families — representing over 1,000 children — with monthly stipends to shop for groceries online.
The program utilizes Instacart Health Fresh Funds to offer $100 per month per child, up to a maximum of $400 per household, for a full year.
Bos and his four-year-old son Niels shop for groceries at a Safeway near the family's home.
"This initiative showcases the County's leadership in addressing food access challenges by leveraging public-private partnerships," County Executive Marc Elrich said in a statement. "Our collaboration with Instacart is a model for how local government can effectively serve its residents through innovation and technology."
MC Groceries allows families to shop for a wide range of food and beverages from local retailers available on Instacart, including fresh and frozen produce, meat, dairy, and pantry staples.
The program also offers a custom Virtual Storefront on Instacart to promote healthy choices.
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Casey Aden-Wansbury, Instacart's vice president of Policy & Government Affairs, emphasized the company’s commitment to solving food access issues.
"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," she said.
Montgomery County says the program has already seen significant use, with participants placing over 700 grocery orders in less than a month, resulting in more than 12,000 nutritious food and beverage items reaching families in need.
The MC Groceries program is designed to assist families who fall into the "SNAP Gap"— those who earn too much to qualify for federal nutrition benefits but still struggle to cover basic necessities like food.
According to the County's 2023 Self-Sufficiency Standard, a family of four in Montgomery County needs to earn nearly $120,000 annually to afford basic needs.
The program is part of the County's broader efforts to end childhood hunger, with the support of various local government agencies and more than 20 participating grocers.
The initiative is expected to greatly benefit underserved areas of the County, including Wheaton, Aspen Hill, and Glenmont, where residents often face challenges related to work schedules, transportation, and access to fresh, nutritious food.