How Instacart is Helping Military Families Put Nutritious Food on the Table

Instacart is dedicated to helping every family access the nutritious food they need —and that certainly includes those who serve our country. Today, one in six military and veteran families experience food insecurity or hunger, higher than the national average (12%). And frequent and sometimes sudden permanent change of station (PCS) moves cause even more strain and financial stress on families. 

That’s why we’re announcing a new partnership with the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN), a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting military and veteran families, to provide free groceries and delivery to military families immediately following relocation to U.S. Army Fort Cavazos in Texas. Designed to help ease the transition and resettlement process for military families in transition, the program is part of MFANetwork, a broader military family relocation assistance pilot announced by MFAN last month. 

Through the partnership, Instacart and MFAN will provide over 100 military families with $100 in monthly Instacart Health Fresh Funds stipends for three months upon relocation to Fort Cavazos in central Texas – a state with among the highest incidence of military family food insecurity (26.1%), according to MFAN’s research.

Families can use the Fresh Funds stipends to purchase nutritious food and other essentials from local Texas retailers including ALDI and more. The Fresh Funds can also be used to cover the costs of delivery to help busy military families spend more time settling into their new communities and less time traveling to the store. 

The military relocation assistance program is part of ongoing work under our sweeping Instacart Health initiative. Through Instacart Health, we are leveraging our technology, partnerships, research and advocacy to increase nutrition security, inspire healthy choices, and scale food as medicine programs. 

Our partnership with MFAN is one of our first Instacart Health partner programs dedicated to expanding nutrition security for the military community and we are committed to driving even more impact for more members of the military and their families, who have dedicated their lives to serving our country. By working and learning together, we can help ensure everyone can access the nutritious foods they need to thrive.

Laura Anderson

Author

Laura Anderson is the Director of Social Impact at Instacart. As part of her work, she supports the company’s Instacart Health initiative, overseeing strategic partnerships with nonprofits and foundations, as well as employee impact programs. Laura has 10 years experience building programs at the intersection of technology and social impact at both for profit and nonprofit organizations. Prior to Instacart, Laura spent five years at Airbnb.org, building the company’s nonprofit strategy, and identifying opportunities for nonprofits to use Airbnb's technology to book free, welcoming & safe accommodations for people in crisis.