Bringing Good Food to 900+ families in Detroit, Sacramento and DC

Robert Franklin is a retired soul food chef. He spent most of his career as a food service director for Detroit public schools. Now he volunteers two days a week at an afterschool program, where he prepares snacks and dinner for 40 kids and their families. Cooking for others is Robert’s passion and love language, but sometimes he has a hard time putting food on the table for himself.

To make ends meet, Robert relies on SNAP and participates in the Food for Seniors Program at Focus: HOPE. Through the program he’s able to get a box of eight canned foods a month, but getting fresh food is hard because he doesn’t drive and there are very few grocery stores near his home.

To better serve individuals like Robert, PHA partnered with Instacart and Focus: HOPE to bring Good Food at Home to 350 families in Detroit. From June 2025 through January 2026, families received $80 in Fresh Funds and a free Instacart+ membership to buy fresh, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables on Instacart and get them delivered to their door. This was the first time the program was extended to eight months instead of three to test how sustained access to produce can shape long-term eating habits.

For Robert, the extra support he received from Good Food at Home was critical. In October, amidst the federal government shutdown, his SNAP benefits were cut from $200 a month to $155.

“This program came at the right time for me because what I didn’t have in food stamps I had with Instacart, so it made a big difference,” said Robert.

Prior to the program, Robert had never used Instacart and didn’t know how to place an order, but with 1:1 support from Focus: HOPE he learned how to use the platform. Before the launch, Focus: HOPE trained volunteers and staff to use Instacart and purchased a computer to help make it easy for individuals like Robert to place their orders.

“I would go every month, and they would ask me what I wanted and help me place the order,” said Robert. “Next thing I knew I was home and my groceries were coming to me.”

Robert ordering his groceries on Instacart, using the computer that Focus: HOPE purchased to help people with technology barriers redeem and use their benefits.

Now that the program is over, Robert says he still plans to continue using Instacart.

“I’m going to continue to use Instacart because it helps me a lot,” said Robert. “The food was really good and fresh. And if you’re a senior citizen like I am sometimes you can’t always get out, so it’s a very good service.”

Reaching Families From Coast to Coast

In tandem with Detroit, PHA and Instacart also brought the program to Sacramento and Washington, D.C. in partnership with the Health Education Council and DC Hunger Solutions to reach an additional 575 families.

For Lucy Falahata, a Sacramento mom who works two jobs, the program was a huge help. Between work and caregiving, she has very little time to shop. Getting fresh produce delivered through Instacart was a game changer for her because it gave her more time to cook and be with her family.

“Eating healthy is important for me for the long run,” said Lucy. “When you’re a parent and you have a child, you want to keep up with them and set a good example.”

Across all three cities, Good Food at Home is helping individuals like Robert and Lucy overcome barriers - whether its transportation, time or income - to put healthy food on the table. In the coming months we will be releasing formal evaluation results from the program but these first-hand accounts show that when individuals have sustained access to fresh produce, they’re better able to care for themselves and their loved ones, build healthier habits, and weather unexpected challenges.