Instacart has launched its third annual Giving Tuesday campaign to benefit Partnership for a Healthier America.
For the first time ever, Instacart is joining forces with household names Keurig Dr Pepper (Core Hydration and Mott's), Dole Packaged Foods, and OLIPOP for Giving Tuesday. For every customer dollar spent via Instacart between Nov. 27 and Dec. 4 on select products from these four brands, Instacart and the participating brands will collectively donate one serving of fruits and vegetables — up to a collective total of 1 million servings — to PHA to support communities across the country, according to a news release. Instacart defines one serving of fruits and vegetables as equivalent to 35 cents, up to a collective total of $362,000.
During the week of Giving Tuesday, Instacart customers are invited to shop better-for-you products from brands aligned with PHA's mission to transform the food landscape in pursuit of health equity.
Instacart and PHA have a long-term partnership centered around a commitment to bring 10 million servings of produce to underserved communities by 2025. In support of that commitment, the donations from the Giving Tuesday campaign will help support PHA initiatives like Good Food at Home, a program that provides fresh produce to families facing access barriers to nutritious food. Through the program, families receive free produce for three months, which they can access via a stipend from Instacart Fresh Funds, offering more choice and selection to fit individual and family produce needs, the release said.
"We believe everyone should have access to nutritious food, which is why we're proud to support PHA during the week of Giving Tuesday," Dani Dudeck, chief corporate affairs officer for Instacart, said in the release. "At Instacart's core, we're a technology company with the power to help transform and scale food access. Leading with our technology, PHA and Instacart launched food access community programs this year and found that online produce stipends help empower families to build healthy eating habits and improve food security.
“We're excited to continue this important work by giving customers an easy way to shop and support families and people in need while also reaping the benefits of adding better-for-you products to their carts,” Dudeck continued. “Together, with the generous support of like-minded CPG partners — Core Hydration, Dole Packaged Foods, Mott's, and OLIPOP — that also champion nutritious food access for all, we're honored to help make a difference in communities across the country."
Earlier this year, PHA and Instacart launched Good Food at Home in Indianapolis and successfully proved the efficacy of produce stipends like Fresh Funds to address food insecurity, the release said. Following the success of the Indianapolis program, Instacart says it will provide Fresh Funds to more than 1,100 families in four new cities: Denver; Englewood, N.J.; Milwaukee; and Washington D.C., by early 2024.
"At PHA, we've always believed in harnessing the collective power of our partners to transform the food landscape for the better," said Noreen Springstead, PHA president and CEO. "This Giving Tuesday, we're thrilled to have the support from some of our most committed partners — Instacart, Core Hydration, Dole Packaged Foods, Mott's, and OLIPOP. Together, we're breaking down the systemic barriers to good food and ensuring that it's easily accessible and affordable for all."
Instacart recently marked the first year of its Instacart Health initiative, for which it partners across the healthcare ecosystem to scale food as medicine programs with payers, providers, and nonprofits. As part of that work, Instacart says it’s making it easier for people to access and pay for nutritious foods online. It recently became the first online grocery marketplace to allow customers to pay with SNAP benefits in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Instacart says the annual Giving Tuesday campaigns are designed to further support its Instacart Health food access mission. Last year, Instacart launched an online food drive with Community Carts in partnership with Feeding America. During the campaign, Instacart customers contributed to local Community Carts, altogether donating more than 37,000 grocery items and essentials to more than 100 Feeding America member food banks, the release said.
"We are thrilled to team up with Instacart to deliver up to one million servings of fruits and vegetables to Partnership for a Healthier America this Giving Tuesday," Orzse Hodi, managing director for Dole Packaged Foods, Americas, said in the release. "For many Americans, access to nutritious, affordable groceries is challenging and forces consumers to make a choice between convenience and nutrition. As part of our Dole Promise, we aim to increase access to good nutrition for 1 billion people which is why Dole is proud to provide nutritious products to help so many people in need across the country this holiday season and beyond."