PHA Pilots new Good Food at Home program in Denver with iQpay

Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) is teaming up with iQpay, a digital payment platform, and the City of Denver’s Department of Public Health & Environment to pilot a new Good Food at Home program in Denver with 450 families.

Good Food at Home is PHA’s signature nutrition security program, which provides fresh, frozen and canned produce to families with limited resources who for a variety of reasons can’t afford to purchase the food they need to eat well. The program was initially launched in Denver in 2020 as a COVID-19 relief effort and quickly scaled to 25 cities. In its first iteration, participating families received pre-packaged produce boxes for 14 weeks. To expand access, in 2022, PHA partnered with Instacart to introduce a digital model that allowed families to purchase produce online on Instacart and have it delivered to their door. Now, in its third iteration, PHA is partnering with iQpay to test a hybrid digital and in-store model.

With this new model, participating families will receive $80 in digital Good Food Funds that they can use at 50 grocery stores in Denver, including Safeway, King Soopers and Walmart, to purchase fresh, frozen or canned produce, starting in February for 3 months. To recruit families, PHA is partnering with Denver Housing Authority, Department of Housing Stability and Denver Human Services.

“We’re constantly looking for ways to innovate and improve our programs to better serve our participants’ needs,” said Amy Slechta, PHA’s Director of Good Food Programs. “One of the things we learned from families is that they want the ability to shop in-store, so they can see and touch the items they’re buying. With iQpay’s digital payment platform we’re finally able to offer that option. Now families can go to their favorite local grocery stores and pick the items they want.”

Another benefit of the new model is that it has built-in features to maximize use. With iQpay, PHA receives real-time updates on program utilization and participants receive emails and text messages reminding them to use their benefits.

“At iQpay, our mission is to make social care programs work for the way people actually live,” said Campbell Erickson, President & Chief Operating Officer. “Families deserve the dignity of choice when accessing nutrition supports. We’re honored to partner with PHA and the City of Denver to launch this new approach to Good Food at Home.”

This program launch is part of PHA’s larger Good Food Cities work in Denver. In partnership with city, community and business leaders, PHA is helping identify and fund innovative local solutions to increase the supply, access and marketing of fruits and vegetables with the goal of doubling produce consumption in Denver by 2030.

“The iQpay program is an exciting step toward making good food more accessible for all Denver residents, while giving families the dignity and choice to select the fruits and vegetables that meet their needs,” said Carolina Ramirez, Food Access Administrator at the City of Denver’s Department of Public Health & Environment. “This partnership helps us explore innovative solutions that strengthen our city’s commitment to food security and healthy food access in Denver communities.”