How Instacart and Feeding America® are Fighting Summer Hunger — and How You Can, Too

For 21 million children in the United States, when schools break for summer, free school meals suddenly disappear. As a result, childhood hunger often spikes, and food banks see increased demand to help close the summer meal gap.

We’re teaming up with Feeding America® to help — and you can, too.

This summer, Instacart is launching our largest ever Summer Hunger Community Carts campaign, supporting more than 300 Feeding America® food bank partners and agencies across the United States — bringing critical support to even more families and children during this heightened time of need.

Delivering What Food Banks Need Most

Instacart’s Community Carts technology reimagines the traditional food drive, making it easy for anyone to donate the exact grocery items their local food bank needs most. Through the Instacart app** or at instacart.com/donate, customers can select a participating food bank in their community and shop from a curated list of essential items the food bank has specifically identified it needs.

All donated items are delivered directly to the food bank by Instacart shoppers. Whether someone donates a few cans of food or fills an entire cart, each contribution helps local food banks better meet demand with the exact items they need to support families in their unique communities.

Instacart always waives all service and delivery fees*** on every Community Carts donation. To actively drive donations all summer long, Instacart will promote Community Carts to customers nationwide – in the app, via email, and through many other channels.

Click here to donate to your local food bank today.

More Ways We’re Addressing Summer Hunger in the Communities We Serve

Our nationwide Community Carts campaign is just one of many ways we’re showing up in communities across the country to raise awareness and mobilize support to address childhood summer hunger:

• This summer, Instacart team members will volunteer alongside partner food banks this summer in multiple cities, including Seattle, Los Angeles, and New York City — rolling up our sleeves alongside the community organizations doing this work every day.
• For the first time, Instacart is also bringing summer hunger awareness to one of the most visible stages in the world with a dedicated NASDAQ Times Square billboard spotlighting the summer meal gap and showing people how they can take action through Community Carts.
• And, we’re continuing our advocacy work alongside partners like the Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger, The Food Group in Minnesota, Project Bread in Massachusetts, and Feeding New York State to support policies that improve food access and nutrition security, including publicly advocating for Summer EBT adoption in states that have not yet opted in. Learn more about our advocacy work and priorities here.

The Community Carts initiative, our partnerships, and these on-the-ground efforts work hand in hand with our commitment to food access through Instacart Health, our company’s larger initiative designed to support community health and ensure families can get the nutritious food they need. We continue to offer online SNAP acceptance across all 50 states and D.C., partner with leading nonprofit organizations like Feeding America to strengthen local food systems, and advocate for policies that help families access nutritious food. To learn more about Instacart Health, visit instacart.com/health, and additional information on our policy agenda can be found here.

Every child across America deserves a summer full of play, exploration, and growth – and that’s why every cart and every donation counts. Together, we can help make sure hunger doesn’t get in the way. If you’re looking for a simple way to make a difference, visit instacart.com/donate to find and support a food bank in your community. 

** Access Community Carts on the Instacart App for iOS or on Instacart.com. ***Other fees may apply. For more information about Community Carts, visit our Help Center.