Food Equality Now: How Thrive Market Is Working to Make Healthy Food Accessible

At Thrive Market, we believe healthy food is a priority, not a privilege. 

Everyone deserves access to nourishing, high-quality groceries, regardless of income, location, or life circumstance. That belief is the foundation of Food Equality Now, our long-term commitment to democratizing access to healthy living.

Food Equality Now is a growing movement powered by our members, nonprofit partners, brand partners, and employees. Together, we’re proving that when people come together around a shared mission, real change can happen—in our case, much faster than expected.

Why Does Food Equality Matter?

Food insecurity affects millions of households across the U.S. In 2023, 18 million U.S. households were food insecure at some point. In many of those households, the adults went hungry in order to feed their children. Even in households with some food security, fresh, organic, and responsibly sourced groceries are frequently out of reach due to cost, availability, or systemic barriers.

At Thrive Market, we view food equality as essential to the overall health and wellbeing of all people. “With rising food costs and increasing economic pressure, too many families are being forced to choose between essentials and nutrition,” says Kristin De Simone, Thrive Market’s Director of Mission. “Food equality is about meeting them with dignity and ensuring that healthy food is accessible.”

What Is Food Equality Now?

Food Equality Now is Thrive Market’s campaign to expand access to healthy groceries for people who need them most. “It’s a long-term commitment to helping people access healthy food, regardless of income or ZIP code,” says De Simone. “It sits at the heart of our mission and reflects how we use our business and our member community to drive real, lasting impact.”

How Does Food Equality Now Work?

Through our Food Equality Now initiative, any Thrive Market member can gift their savings (or any dollar amount) at checkout to help provide grocery discounts and stipends to Thrive Gives members and support our nonprofit partners.

We’re also proud to be the first online-only retailer to accept SNAP EBT, helping expand access to online grocery shopping and making it easier for eligible households to access healthy food with dignity and choice.

Where Do Food Equality Now Donations Go?

Here’s a closer look at the initiatives that your Food Equality Now donations help support:

Thrive Gives 

Food Equality Now helps fund grocery discounts and stipends for Thrive Gives members, giving families the flexibility to choose healthy foods that work best for them. Thrive Gives supports individuals and families in financial need, including teachers, nurses, first responders, students, veterans, and SNAP EBT cardholders.

Learn more about our Thrive Gives members: 

Meet Hind, An Art Teacher and Mom of Three Who Finds Support Through Thrive Gives

Meet Hung, a Thrive Gives Member & Father On a Healthy Eating Journey

For Milca, A Nurse, Mother & Thrive Gives Member, Healthy Eating is Part of the Family Legacy

Nonprofit Organizations

We collaborate with nonprofit partners that help us reach people facing food insecurity, extending our impact beyond our platform and into communities nationwide. A few of these ongoing partnerships include work with organizations like FoodCorps, Food Cycle LA, and Baby2Baby.

Choosing nonprofit partners is a process we take very seriously. “We partner with organizations that are deeply rooted in the communities they serve and can demonstrate measurable impact,” De Simone explains. “Alignment on values, transparency, and long-term outcomes guide every partnership decision we make.”

Learn more about our nonprofit partners: 

Fueling Healthy Minds: Go Back to School with FoodCorps and Thrive Market 

How FoodCycle LA and Thrive Market are Feeding People, Not Landfills

Food & Product Donations Following Natural Disasters

When emergencies strike, Food Equality Now enables us to quickly make food and essential product donations to help communities recover. Every dollar donated helps support families and frontline workers when access to healthy food matters most. To date, we’ve made donations to communities following disasters like the wildfires in our hometown of Los Angeles and the devastating floods in central Texas. 

How Much Have We Raised for Food Equality Now? 

When we first launched the campaign in 2020, our goal was to donate $10 million in healthy groceries by 2025.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our members, we surpassed that goal two years early and in 2023, we set a new goal to raise $20 million in healthy groceries by 2030. 

Once again, we surpassed that $20 million goal—five years ahead of schedule! 

Our newest goal is to donate $30 million in healthy groceries by 2030.

How Can Thrive Market Members Support Food Equality Now?

Food Equality Now is made possible by our community. Any Thrive Market member can get involved, and all you have to do is make a donation at checkout. “It’s a simple way to pay your savings forward, whether it’s a few dollars or more, to help expand access to healthy food for our most vulnerable neighbors,” says De Simone.