Instacart, the D.C. Department of Health (DC Health), and Martha’s Table recently launched the DC Grocery Access Pilot program to expand access to fresh, healthy foods for D.C. residents.
The program provides free Instacart+ memberships and monthly stipends to help cover grocery delivery and service fees to up to 1,000 D.C. residents eligible for SNAP. Participants can shop from any store available on the Instacart platform, which includes over 80 retailers in the city, reaching 100 percent of SNAP households, DC Health tells Food Tank.
“Access to healthy food is critical to reduce the risk of many chronic diseases and improve health outcomes across the life span,” DC Health tells Food Tank. In 2023, nearly 9 percent of households in D.C. struggled to afford enough food, according to D.C. Hunger Solutions. The organization’s Grocery Store Report states that a severe lack of full-service grocery stores is one of the contributing factors for food insecurity in Wards 7 and 8, two of the city’s low-income areas. These Wards contain only seven of the city’s 80 full-service grocery stores, according to a 2025 report from D.C. Hunger Solutions.
In addition to improving food access, the program promotes healthy dietary behaviors by embedding health and wellness education into its eligibility criteria. To participate in the GAP program, residents must enroll in a health education class through Martha’s Table or another DC Health partner, which help build social support networks, teach parenting skills, and promote wellness practices for participants.
At these classes, educators offer an overview of the GAP program and identify those interested in participating. Residents then receive Instacart codes, which they can begin using right away.
This pilot builds upon the success of a similar program Instacart launched in 2023 in partnership with the City of Columbia, South Carolina, and its Mayor Daniel Rickenmann. The program provided Instacart+ memberships and monthly Instacart Health Fresh Funds stipends to residents living in Columbia’s food deserts. Results from the first year found that an overwhelming majority of participants were very satisfied with Instacart and were very likely to continue participating in the program, according to Instacart. Following this positive feedback, the city of Columbia announced a one-year extension of the pilot program.
“That pilot showed us what’s possible when you combine thoughtful public policy with technology that can meet people where they are,” Casey Aden-Wansbury, Instacart’s Vice President, Head of Global Public Policy, tells Food Tank.
She explains that after hearing about the success of the program in Columbia, DC Councilmember Christina Henderson introduced legislation to bring the GAP model to Washington, D.C. “Her leadership on this critical issue was instrumental in making this partnership with DC Health possible,” Aden-Wansbury says.
“Public–private partnerships have a powerful role to play in expanding food access because they bring together the strengths of each sector in a way that no one organization can achieve alone,” Aden-Wansbury tells Food Tank.
Governments understand the needs of their communities and policy levers available, while community organizations bring trusted relationships and on-the-ground insight, Aden-Wansbury says. Companies like Instacart can then provide the technology and infrastructure needed to implement programs at scale. “Collaborations like these allow us to move faster, tailor support to local needs, and ultimately help more people access the nutritious foods that help them thrive.”
DC Health is now leading an evaluation of the pilot to inform its longer-term strategies. “We know that bringing a full-service grocery store to a neighborhood requires long-term planning across agencies,” the agency says.
Looking ahead, Instacart plans to scale similar programs in other communities. Aden-Wansbury explains that the company is working with the Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger to offer the Grocery Access Template Program, an opportunity for smaller cities and towns to partner with Instacart and offer access to online grocery and delivery for residents in underserved areas. “The success of our existing programs gives us a clear path to scale this work, and we’re excited to keep partnering with communities that are looking to expand food access,” she tells Food Tank
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Photo courtesy of Mintolab, Unsplash
