Supporting community health workers and empowering the communities they care for

We know that access to nutritious food is essential to living a healthy life. At Instacart, we're committed to using the power of our platform to make food more accessible, especially for people navigating complex health-related social needs like food insecurity.

That's why I'm proud to share that we've launched a partnership with Pear Suite, a digital health company supporting community health workers (CHWs). Through our work together, we're helping CHWs across the country connect the individuals and families they serve with Instacart Health Fresh Funds- grocery stipends that can be used to shop from any grocer on Instacart - as part of a more complete, person-centered approach to care.

Bridging the gap and encouraging engagement

CHWs are trusted guides, helping people navigate the social challenges that impact their health. By integrating Fresh Funds into Pear Suite's platform, CHWs can now easily offer clients facing food insecurity access to online grocery directly within their existing care workflows.

Since launching the partnership earlier this year, Pear Suite has seen encouraging results: a six-month program incorporating Instacart Health Fresh Funds grocery stipends helped improve food access and reduce barriers to care, resulting in an 86% engagement rate between community health workers and Medicaid members.

As part of the survey, Pear Suite also saw 42% of clients reported rising grocery costs as a significant barrier to access, underscoring the need for more affordable food options and financial support provided by programs like SNAP and Fresh Funds. 42% of members also said they faced transportation barriers that online grocery and delivery via Instacart can help families overcome.

By providing a tangible way to easily access nutritious food from the grocers people know and trust, this partnership makes support actionable and effective - empowering individuals to overcome food access barriers in a way that respects their unique experiences and preferences.

"We share Instacart's mission to drive measurable improvements in healthy food access. We're excited that this partnership empowers CHWs to better integrate food access into their everyday workflows, helping families overcome barriers while also delivering measurable value to health plans. It's a scalable model for advancing health equity across the communities we serve." - Colby Takeda, co-founder and CEO of Pear Suite.

Supporting personal choice and local economies at scale

With Fresh Funds, CHWs can offer both support and the dignity of choice to their clients. Through the program, individuals can shop for nutritious food from nearly 100,000 stores, including beloved neighborhood grocers, regional cultural staples, and trusted national chains. The breadth of our retail partnerships help ensure people can get the essentials they need from the grocers that meet their specific dietary, cultural, and personal needs.

And the impact doesn't stop at the household level. Programs like this also support local economies. As a committed partner to retailers of all sizes, Instacart helps grocers bring their stores online, allowing them to reach new customers, boost sales, and expand access in the communities they serve. This benefits patients, health plans, and the local grocers that anchor our neighborhoods.

Building together

Our work with Pear Suite is a powerful example of what's possible when we bridge the gap between nutrition and health. Whether we're partnering with a health plan, provider, community organization, or public health leaders, our Instacart Health tools are designed to be flexible, scalable and easy to integrate into care models.

We're here as a partner that can bring nutritious food to more people, deliver more value, and ultimately make it easier for everyone to get the food they need to live well.