This summer, many Birmingham families are facing financial strain due to the additional food costs associated with having kids home for the summer. According to Feeding America, child hunger and malnutrition worsens during the summer months. Children who live in food deserts and whose families have transportation limitations are at an even greater risk. Recognizing this need, Shipt has partnered with Protective Life Corporation (Protective) and YWCA Central Alabama to combat summer hunger and reduce barriers for families in need.

Shipt, a multi-retailer, same-day shopping and delivery marketplace and Protective, a Birmingham-based company offering life insurance, annuity and asset protection solutions, are providing 100 YWCA recipient families with a free three-month Shipt membership to access free, same-day grocery delivery and a $100 Healthy Choice credit each month to purchase groceries and home essentials.

“We here at Shipt believe this newly formed partnership with YWCA and Protective is a natural fit and aligns with our goal to address food insecurity through knowledge and increasing access to food in order to reduce hunger and malnutrition in the next decade,” said Shipt’s VP of Economic and Social Impact Khadijah Abdullah. 

Shipt’s Healthy Choice Program promotes healthy habits by allowing program participants to use the credits to purchase healthy items such as produce, meat & seafood and wellness items, such as over-the-counter medicines and supplements. For added convenience, participating families will have the option for their groceries to be delivered for pickup to YWCA's Child Development Center, a location many are visiting daily to drop off and pick up their children.

“One in six adults and one in five children are food insecure in Alabama alone, which goes to show how impactful programs and partnerships such as this can be. We are extremely proud to partner with Shipt and Protective Life to be part of the solution so more families can rest a little easier this summer,” said Dr. LaRhonda Magras, CEO, YWCA Central Alabama

One way the Shipt team is working to make sure the program is a success is through a training program to educate YWCA Housing and Child Development Center staff members on how to navigate Shipt’s digital marketplace. The first training took place on June 27th where YWCA staff members received one on one training by Shipt HQ team members. The majority of the training was focused on navigating Shipt’s online marketplace, selecting replacements, communicating with Shipt Shoppers and how credits are applied to Shipt accounts. Shipt HQ team members were also sure to provide tips and tricks on how families can make the most of their allotted Shipt credits.

“At Protective, we are committed to helping address significant community challenges, and we recognize that providing healthy food during the summer months can be particularly difficult for some families,” said Eva Robertson, executive director of the Protective Life Foundation and vice president of community engagement at Protective. “We are pleased to be working with two great organizations like Shipt and the YWCA to pilot new ways for providing food assistance to those who need it most.” 

The program will run from July through September and families will have access to financial education and healthy cooking workshops conducted by the YWCA CDC Nutrition Manager. 

As part of Shipt’s commitment to reducing hunger, we believe our same-day shopping and delivery service can help to reduce the economic and logistical barriers many Americans face in accessing healthy, affordable food. We are excited to learn from this partnership and to continue to expand access to delivery and healthy food in Birmingham, and across the country.