Indy SNAP recipients get online shopping option
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo
A new digital-first grocery store will extend the access of online shopping to SNAP recipients for the first time.
Driving the news: Thrive Market will begin accepting SNAP EBT payments from users across the contiguous U.S. on Monday, the company says.
- The move follows nearly a decade of advocating to the USDA (which oversees SNAP), and after various pilot programs involving retailers with mixed online and brick-and-mortar operations, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick writes.
Why it matters: Many in the SNAP program — commonly referred to as "food stamps" — live in food deserts where it's hard to find high-quality groceries near home.
- According to the latest USDA data more than 614,000 Hoosiers — or roughly 8.9% of the population — participate in the SNAP program.
Zoom in: The Indianapolis Community Food Access Coalition says Indy is one of the worst cities in the nation when it comes to food insecurity.
- More than 208,000 Indianapolis residents live in a food desert, and more than 10,500 live without access to a car or bus to reach grocery stores, per the coalition.
How it works: Thrive offers a variety of groceries for home delivery, from pantry staples to meat and frozen items — with a focus on healthy, high-quality goods.
- Membership costs $60 annually, but SNAP recipients will be able to join for free.
Between the lines: While the "digital divide" persists, the vast majority of low-income Americans now have some form of internet access — often through a smartphone — making online grocery delivery more feasible, Thrive Market co-founder and CEO Nick Green says.
Yes, but: "One challenge that we do have with people that are really struggling is that they may not have a stable address," Green adds.
- "We have served some of those populations by working with nonprofits, at shelters and food shelf-type programs they can access."