SNAP Customers in Boston Can Use EBT Cards to Order Groceries Online

Consumers in the Boston area who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can now use their Electronic Benefits Transfer (ETB) cards to buy groceries online through the nonprofit grocer Daily Table. The Mayor’s Office of Food Access allocated $93,000 in funds from the American Rescue Plan to support the effort, which began last week.

Users of the federal nutrition assistance program can place their orders on Daily Table’s website or app. The nonprofit grocery chain, the only locally-owned nonprofit grocery taking part in this initiative, will fulfill orders for delivery or pickup at one of its locations in the communities of Roxbury, Dorchester and Cambridge. Delivery is free for Daily Table customers who reside within a two-mile radius of a Daily Table store.

“Expanding food access requires meeting residents where they are and making it easier for busy families to get nutritious, affordable meals,” said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who recently visited a Daily Table location in Roxbury to talk to customers and help fill online orders.  “In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and winter storms, not everyone has the ability to go into a store. I’m grateful to Daily Table for their partnership in ensuring that Boston’s residents, especially our seniors and those with health concerns, can use their SNAP benefits from the comfort of their own homes to access culturally appropriate food.”

Added Doug Rauch, founder and president of Daily Table: “Over the last two years, the communities we serve have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID pandemic with higher rates of unemployment and skyrocketing food insecurity. SNAP redemption levels in our stores have nearly doubled since the pandemic started. Enabling our customers using SNAP benefits to order free grocery delivery at the same low prices as in our stores democratizes access and empowers customers to get the healthy, affordable food they need and deserve.”