Now welcoming the third cohort, Shipt’s LadderUp™ Accelerator Program is helping fresh food organizations across the country grow, learn, and expand their reach to help make food more accessible to all.
As part of the program, these organizations, a passionate group of CSAs, farmers markets, food co-ops, and local grocery stores, will receive a $5k grant in addition to valuable marketplace education and mentorship.
The curriculum is carefully crafted to meet the specific gaps they shared in their application. Taught by Shipt leaders and experts across the industry, LadderUp's third cohort will learn how to identify unique funding opportunities, grow their online presence, and more importantly build a network with others in the cohort where they can share ideas, insights, and best practices.
As we prepared for the third year of LadderUp, we listened back to what past participants told us they appreciated the most:
“LadderUp was a great opportunity for Fresh Houwse to learn firsthand, skills and techniques and how to utilize these resources to bring more opportunity to our community.” shared Ivy Walls, owner of Fresh Houwse Grocery. “Knowing that Shipt cares about building community, it was a good fit. Sometimes accelerators don’t lean into grocery but this was tailored for us. It was valuable to gain connections with really great businesses who are excelling at this work, and to learn about how other people have structured their businesses.”
At Shipt, we believe that food should be accessible to all, regardless of zip code, and these organizations share this belief and are making a difference every day in their local communities to make this change.
Here are some of their stories:
FreshGreens Market (Montgomery, Ala.)
FreshGreensMarket is an organic chemical-free urban farm and market on the west side of Montgomery, Alabama dedicated to making fresh food accessible. They uniquely connect small local farmers with the community, while educating them on how to grow their own food and live healthier lives.
Neighborhood Grocery (Detroit, Mich.)
Neighborhood Grocery serves as both a fresh food provider and a resilience hub in some of Detroit’s food deserts. Their community-focused approach brings equitable resources directly to the residents, acting as a catalyst for culture, connection, and positive change.
Campbell's Market Basket (East Lansing, Mich.)
Campbell's Market Basket is located right outside of Michigan State University, providing students and local residents with affordable access to products directly from local growers. They are dedicated to making fresh, high-quality food accessible to everyone.
Good Grocer (Minneapolis, Minn.)
Good Grocer is a volunteer-powered grocery store on a mission to transform the food system to make good, fresh food accessible and affordable for everyone in their community. They uniquely provide work opportunities for neurodiverse young adults and people with developmental disabilities in Minneapolis' Whittier Community.
Greene Hill Food Cooperative (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Greene Hill Food Cooperative came together when a group of Brooklyn neighbors recognized a gap in food access. The co-op is 100% volunteer-based, and its member-operated model prioritizes community and accessibility while ensuring healthy, high-quality food reaches every zip code they serve.
The Greater Good Grocery (Binghamton, N.Y.)
The Greater Good Grocery works to end hunger in food deserts across Broome County with its brick-and-mortar store location and mobile market. With over 50% of their customers using EBT and WIC, they’re proud advocates of the Double Bucks programs to make local food more affordable for SNAP recipients.
Star Farm Chicago (Chicago, Ill.)
Star Farm Chicago increases access to local organic produce through a multitude of methods including farmers markets, pop-ups, delivery, and their local foods co-op. Through their food access work and their horticultural therapy programs, they hope to inspire the next generation of urban growers while enhancing the long-term health and mental health outcomes of the community.
West Georgia Farmers Cooperative (Cataula, Ga.)
Since 1966, the West Georgia Farmers' Cooperative has been bringing fresh food to low-income communities, as a rural food hub and regional farmers' market. By providing training, funding, and other resources to its members and local citizens to rebuild small farms into impactful community change agents for generations.
Mini Mercado (Houston, Texas)
Mini Mercado provides accessible, fresh, and nutritious food to underserved communities with limited transportation options. They strive to uplift and foster a healthier community, serve their customers with dignity and respect, and connect their neighbors to healthy and culturally relevant groceries.
Global Greens CSA (Des Moines, Iowa)
Through the Global Greens CSA program, both farmers and residents can prosper from the collective good of Global Greens. Through a seasonal subscription, customers receive weekly naturally grown vegetables raised by former refugees who now call Central Iowa home. Farmers can access space to grow food, learn more about U.S. agriculture, and start their businesses by selling produce.
Jones Valley Teaching Farm (Birmingham, Ala.)
Jones Valley Teaching Farm uses food as a foundation to empower young people to lead, create, and grow healthy futures for themselves and their communities. Their Farm Stand serves individuals from over 80 zip codes throughout Birmingham and beyond who have low access to healthy produce.
More about Shipt’s Social Impact platform
In the U.S., over 40 million people (almost 18%) live in communities where access to affordable, nutritious food is limited. The LadderUp program is just one part of Shipt’s longstanding commitment to food security, including our Community Grants program, our acceptance of SNAP EBT on the app, and our partnership with national organizations like Feeding America and the American Red Cross.
“As a people-first technology company, Shipt is uniquely positioned to partner with local businesses to help reduce food access barriers in communities across the United States,” said Shipt VP of Economic Development and Social Impact Khadijah Abdullah. “Our LadderUp participants are putting Shipt’s social impact values into action and we are proud to support their work in their communities.”