Massachusetts residents who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits may now use their EBT SNAP credits to purchase food online via Instacart from Stop & Shop and Hannaford, an expansion of the online buying program which began in May of last year, the state’s Department of Transitional Assistance announced on Wednesday.
Recipients may purchase food online for delivery or pickup via Instacart from Price Chopper, ALDI, and separately through Walmart and Amazon.
Massachusetts residents have spent over $75 million in SNAP benefits through online grocery sales, according to a press release. This comes as the state’s SNAP program has seen an influx of 100,000 more households using the program since the coronavirus pandemic began. Some 550,000 households use the program in total.
Instacart plans to waive delivery and pickup fees on up to three first EBT SNAP purchases between now and Sept. 16, per the announcement. Otherwise, SNAP benefits may not be used to pay for fees.Â
