The Baker Administration announced that Massachusetts residents who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can now use their EBT SNAP benefits to buy fresh food and pantry staples online from a variety of participating stores for same-day delivery and pickup via Instacart, including Price Chopper, ALDI and newly added Hannaford and Stop & Shop.
Residents can shop for groceries from Hannaford, Stop & Shop, Price Chopper and ALDI via the Instacart online site and mobile app.
Once an Instacart customer profile is created, customers can enter their EBT SNAP card information as a form of payment. Customers can enter their zip code to determine if they are near a participating retailer, and begin shopping for retailers’ EBT-eligible products. Once items are added to their cart, customers will be able to select how much of their benefits they would like to allocate to the order. Orders for delivery and pickup can be placed by customers for receipt in as fast as an hour or scheduled several days in advance.
To help subsidize costs for EBT SNAP participants, Instacart will waive delivery or pickup fees through September 16, 2021, on up to the first three EBT SNAP orders for each customer with a valid EBT card associated with their Instacart account. For more information on EBT SNAP on Instacart, visit: https://www.instacart.com/ebt-snap.
SNAP benefits cannot be used to pay for fees, like delivery fees. Economic assistance programs benefits received through DTA, which include Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC), Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled, and Children (EAEDC), and State Supplement Payments (SSP) cannot be used to purchase items online at this time. The USDA approves all retailers for participation in the SNAP online purchasing program. Interested retailers can visit: www.FNS.USDA.gov/SNAP.
Residents can check their SNAP eligibility and apply online or over the phone at (877) 382-2363. SNAP will not impact immigration status and is not considered in the public charge test. It is safe for individuals and families to get benefits they are eligible for. Currently, families are temporarily receiving increased SNAP benefit amounts and it is now easier than ever to apply.
DTA assists and empowers low-income individuals and families to meet their basic needs, improve their quality of life, and achieve long term economic self-sufficiency. DTA serves one in eight residents of the Commonwealth with direct economic assistance and food assistance, as well as workforce training opportunities.