Instacart Shoppers Embracing Vaccine Stipend
Instacart says its COVID-19 Vaccine Support Stipend for its grocery workers, or shoppers, has led to more than 15,000 shots in arms.
Since the program launched on Feb. 1, Instacart has been encouraging shoppers to get vaccinated in order to support themselves and their families while continuing to provide an essential service to communities. This program aims to build on Instacart’s efforts to support the health and safety of the shopper community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Throughout the pandemic, the health and safety of the entire Instacart community has been our top priority. We’re proud of the proactive steps we’ve taken to support our shopper community, including our Vaccine Support Stipend program designed to ensure that, when the time comes, Instacart shoppers don’t have to choose between earning income as an essential worker or getting vaccinated,” said Dilshika Wijesekera, director of food safety at Instacart. “As the fight against COVID-19 continues, we’re committed to advocating for shoppers to get access to COVID-19 vaccines so they can continue to serve as a lifeline for millions of people across North America. We’re also continuing to work closely with federal, state, and local government officials to offer Instacart as a resource in the national response to the pandemic.”
In addition to the Vaccine Support Stipend, the company has also distributed more than 730,000 health and safety kits at no cost to shoppers since the start of the pandemic, with more kits shipping every week.
Instacart has called on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), all 50 governors, and state and local elected leaders to include grocery delivery workers for early access to COVID-19 vaccines.
In addition, as part of its ongoing commitment to supporting its shopper community, Instacart introduced a number of health and safety tools for shoppers, including daily in-app wellness checks, free telemedicine consultations, a COVID-19 Resource Center, safety supply kits, health and safety guidelines, new sick leave policies, pay for those shoppers affected by COVID-19, and thank you bonuses to support shoppers. Throughout this pandemic and beyond, Instacart will continue to advocate for shopper safety, as well as promote and assist the wellbeing of communities across the nation.
Recently Silicon Valley titan Frank Slootman joined Instacart's board as the company prepares to go public this year.
Instacart also raised $265 million in its latest round of funding, more than doubling its valuation to $39 billion in less than six months.
San Francisco-based Instacart today partners with nearly 600 national, regional and local retailers, including unique brand names, to offer delivery and pickup services from more than 45,000 stores across more than 5,500 cities in North America. Instacart is available to over 85% of U.S. households and 70% of Canadian households.
