Delivering in the Wake of Disaster to Support our Communities 

From hurricanes and floods to tornadoes and wildfires, unpredictable and extreme weather affects families across the country. Food security and lack of access to basic necessities are among the biggest immediate challenges families face in the wake of natural disasters. People’s lives are disrupted, and food banks are put under strain. We’ve been inspired to see communities using Instacart to help rapidly deliver food, water, and essentials when people need them most. 

Today, we’re proud to strengthen our partnership with Feeding America®, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, supporting local partner food banks with our technology to deliver groceries and essentials in the wake of disaster. Using Instacart Health Care Carts, anyone – an organization, family member or caregiver – can order and send groceries on behalf of someone else. Through our program, we’re now working directly with Feeding America partner food banks in disaster-prone areas across nine states so they can use Care Carts to deliver food and essentials quickly to people unable to reach a food distribution location following natural disasters.

Our program equips food banks with the essential tools they need to foster the resilience and well-being of our communities – now and in the future.

“People experience food insecurity daily, and when disaster strikes, underserved communities are often hit hardest. Partners like Instacart are critical in our disaster response and recovery efforts, helping to ensure that affected communities have access to the food and resources they need to rebuild and thrive.”

Lauren Biedron, Feeding America’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships

We’ve worked closely with Feeding America – leveraging their insights and deep understanding of our communities – to create a program that supports a diverse group of local food banks. These food banks also have access to an Instacart+ membership with free delivery, as well as a dedicated technical support, ensuring employees and volunteers can seamlessly order and send items to neighbors experiencing food insecurity in a critical time. 

With the Instacart Health initiative, we’ve built technology that can solve real problems for real people. Food banks are on the front lines, working tirelessly to provide food and essentials to affected communities. But during these crises, they often face resource constraints, impeding their immediate impact. By expanding our partnership and leveraging our scalable technology, Feeding America can provide greater access to essentials to people facing hunger. 

“In a region where many are impacted by food insecurity daily, it can be challenging to garner resources quickly to meet the high demand for food when a disaster strikes. Fortunately, with the support of Instacart, we will be able to deliver food and water to those impacted. We are truly grateful and honored to be a part of this partnership with Instacart.”

Kelly Mui-Chesterton, FIND Food Bank’s Vice President of Development and Community Engagement

Through our work with the Feeding America network, Instacart has used our platform and scale to help deliver food to families experiencing food insecurity across the country. Our disaster relief program is a critical piece of our ongoing efforts to address food insecurity for families across the country. In June, we also launched our second annual nationwide Summer Hunger Community Carts campaign to drive food donations to Feeding America food banks during the summer – a time when 28 million students in the U.S. lose access to free and reduced-price lunches, putting added strain on families who rely on this support. 

We’re proud to continue to expand our partnership with Feeding America, using the power of our Health technology to strengthen their response in the wake of disaster. Together, we’re supporting our communities to help ensure that everyone has access to the food they need to live a healthy life. 

Dani Dudeck

Author

Dani Dudeck is the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Instacart.