The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a severe economic downturn, with many losing their jobs as a result, since the start of the public health crisis. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, 17 million Americans were potentially food insecure as a result of the pandemic.
In order to help those struggling, many supermarkets and grocers have worked to provide delivery services for customers. Grocery chain ALDI recently announced
its partnering with Instacart to deliver groceries to SNAP recipients free of charge, and expanded the assistance program across 22 states.The company joins others like Walmart, Amazon and Shoprite to provide grocery delivery services to SNAP recipients during the pandemic to ensure they receive necessary food items while staying safe. The service will be provided at over 1,000 ALDI locations.
“As the country continues to grapple with COVID-19,
we recognize the important role Instacart and its retail partners play in making same-day grocery delivery and pickup available to more people nationwide,” Andrew Nodes, vice president of Retail at Instacart, told WKBW Buffalo. “We’re proud of the work we’ve done with ALDI and the USDA Food and Nutrition Service to unlock EBT SNAP online payments for more families, and we look forward to continuing to expand this important program.”ALDI started its program with a limited number of locations across Georgia in November 2020, and has since added more than 500 locations across Florida, Pennsylvania, Texas and California in December.
The program has now expanded to additional states including New York, Alabama, North Carolina, Ohio, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Maryland, Iowa, Delaware, New Jersey, Minnesota, Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan, Arizona and Illinois.
“We are pleased to see ALDI as the newest retailer option for Illinois residents who use EBT SNAP benefits and have access to healthy, affordable food,” Grace Hou, IDHS secretary told WCIA News. “As we continue to navigate the effects of COVID-19, we are working to leverage increased opportunities for Illinois residents to use EBT SNAP payments for online grocery delivery and pick-up services in communities across the state.”