SNAP recipients in Indiana can buy online at ALDI stores for pickup and delivery
Contributed By:The 411 News
Started because of COVID-19, state intends to keep service permanently
INDPLS. – SNAP recipients in Indiana now have a third option for using their Hoosier Works EBT cards to purchase groceries online for pickup or delivery: ALDI, working in partnership with Instacart, joins Amazon and Walmart, which were approved for online purchases earlier this year.
SNAP participants are automatically eligible to participate in this program and do not need to apply.
Jennifer Sullivan, M.D., M.P.H., FSSA secretary said. "While this service will initially and immediately address needs caused by the pandemic, we intend to keep this service in place permanently.”
Currently, ALDI via Instacart, Amazon and Walmart are the only Indiana retailers that have been approved for online purchasing by the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. More information about using these online retailers in Indiana is available at https://www.in.gov/fssa/dfr/online-purchasing-now-available-for-snap-recipients-in-indiana/
To purchase online from ALDI, Indiana SNAP participants will shop via the Instacart app or online at www.Instacart.com.
Customers will create an Instacart account. Then, they can enter their Hoosier Works EBT card information as a form of payment in their profile. (They will also need to add a secondary form of payment for non-food items such as taxes, tips and fees per SNAP guidelines.)
Any delivery fees that may apply to the online purchase may NOT be paid with SNAP benefits. However, through March 16, 2021, Instacart will waive delivery and/or pickup fees on the first three SNAP EBT orders for each Indiana SNAP customer with a Hoosier Works EBT card associated with their account.
Customers can then enter their ZIP code to determine if they are near a participating ALDI store, and begin shopping and selecting items from ALDI's SNAP-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.
ALDI delivery and pickup via Instacart will be available daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., local time. Available time slots for pickup and delivery are listed during checkout and vary by store. Orders for delivery and pickup can be placed by customers for receipt in as fast as an hour or scheduled days in advance.
If SNAP recipients have any problems using their card for ordering, they should call the number on the back of their Hoosier Works EBT card for customer service.
SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and was formerly called Food Stamps. SNAP benefits can only be used for food products and for plants and seeds used to grow food.
A full list of items that can and cannot be purchased with SNAP is available at https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/eligible-food-items
TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) benefits, which are also provided via Hoosier Works EBT card, may not be used for online purchasing. Currently more than 680,000 Hoosiers receive SNAP benefits and nearly 13,000 Hoosiers receive TANF assistance.
Hoosiers may apply for SNAP or TANF at www.FSSABenefits.in.gov. They may also call 800-403-0864 for assistance.
Story Posted:12/26/2020
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