Good Food at Home: Denver Delivers Fresh Fruits & Veggies

How much healthier could a family eat if they received an extra $60 a month to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables through Instacart?

Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) decided to find out. From coast to coast, PHA is helping cities build better food futures for their residents through Good Food at Home, our program providing access to 12 weeks of fresh produce.

This winter, we brought the program to Denver, CO and partnered with Instacart and local organizations Montbello Organizing Committee and Denver Housing Authority to provide 200 families with $60 a month in produce credits and free delivery.

Bringing Fresh Produce to Front Doors

“Montbello is what we call a ‘food desert,’ so there aren’t a lot of grocery stores around the area,” said Nicole Millan, Director of Community Partnerships with the Montbello Organizing Committee, a nonprofit organization working on behalf of the residents of the Montbello neighborhood of Denver. “Another really big barrier is transportation. It’s very hard for Montbello residents to get to a grocery store that’s not in walking distance.”

Instacart’s participation in the Good Food at Home program meant Montbello residents could get fresh, nutritious food without the impediments of long walks, slow bus rides, or costly car fuel-ups. Instead, healthy fruits and veggies landed right at the participants’ front doors.

Making Fresh Food a Family Tradition

Denver resident Caritta Mays participated in the Good Food at Home from December 2023 through February 2024. Her $60 monthly produce credits – provided as Instacart Health Fresh Funds – not only grew her grocery budget but also got her kids involved in meal prep and planning.

Caritta described, “Asking my kids what they want at the store… letting them cut the fruit up so they feel incorporated in the whole ‘eating healthy’ thing… I give it a 10 out of 10!”

“Asking my kids what they want at the store… letting them cut the fruit up so they feel incorporated in the whole ‘eating healthy’ thing… I give it a 10 out of 10!” - Caritta Mays, Denver Good Food at Home Participant

Thanks to the Good Food at Home program, families like Caritta’s feel empowered to try new fruits and vegetables. “My son, he’s a ‘watermelon head’ — he loves watermelon. And I just found out my baby loves grapes!” she shared.

“I have to emphasize that many of the families we serve were very ecstatic to have that extra cash on the side to buy the groceries. It was like a stress reliever for them, honestly,“ added Karinganire Umutesi, a Family Self-Sufficiency Coordinator at the Denver Housing Authority (DHA). “It was a magical thing to see.”

Together, We Can Double Produce Consumption by 2030

Since 2020, Good Food at Home has provided more than 21 million servings of fruits and vegetables to families in 30 cities.

It’s part of PHA’s larger strategy to build Good Food Cities all across the country — where we’ll double produce consumption by 2030. As a Good Food City, Denver has already signed on and committed to working with us to ensure good food for all is a reality for its residents.

Caritta shared a message for city governments and aid organizations throughout America: “You should incorporate a program like this in your city. You’ll be proud of what you’re doing for your community.”