Could a grocery delivery site help get more people signed up for SNAP?

The grocery delivery site Instacart just launched a new tool to help people find out if they might be eligible for SNAP benefits, and connect them to state resources. More than 42 million people currently get food assistance through SNAP, but there are many more who are eligible and not currently receiving benefits.

This new screening tool on Instacart is very basic. It doesn’t ask for your name — just a few quick questions, like where you live, how many people you live with and roughly how much you make. Then it takes you to your state’s official SNAP application.

“We think that’s fantastic,” said Salaam Bhatti with the nonprofit Food Research & Action Center.

“We’re really hopeful that a lot of other corporations and organizations will also follow suit,” Bhatti said.

There are lots of reasons people who qualify for SNAP benefits aren’t getting them. But Paco Vélez at Feeding South Florida said lack of awareness is a big one.

“Folks not understanding or realizing that this benefit was out there, and that they were potentially eligible,” Vélez said.

Getting information to people on sites they frequent can make a big difference.

And Michelle McRae at Instacart said lots of people on SNAP, or who might qualify, use the site for grocery delivery.

“What we hear from consumers, and especially low income consumers, is that online shopping helps them address time and transportation challenges, and then also enables planning in a way that can help stretch budgets as well,” McRae said.

So, the site could be a good place to reach people.