Shipt is known for getting groceries to your doorstep. Now the retail tech company is trying to get fresh food to the people who need it most.
Through a series of community investment programs, Shipt is channeling funding, mentorship, and resources into Detroit-area nonprofits tackling food insecurity - a crisis that touches so many Michigan residents.
“One in six Michigan residents, they are impacted by food insecurity,” said Brittney Smith, Shipt’s Director of Community and Social Impact. “We want to be intentional about helping support the organizations that are on the ground here.”
Smith says the company’s approach is deliberately hands-off when it comes to setting the agenda. “All of our programs are rooted in the belief that community-led organizations best understand the needs of their community,” she said.
Among those organizations is the Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation, whose Northwest Detroit Farmers Market - now in its 21st year - participated in Shipt’s Ladder Up accelerator program, an eight-week initiative offering grants, education, and mentorship to fresh food organizations looking to grow.
For Erica Duckett of the Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation, the program delivered more than she bargained for.
“What I didn’t know that I was going to get was something for my soul, something that teaches that the farmers market manager is a source, as a resource to the community,” said Duckett.
Duckett also says the mission is simple. “If one child eats that day, if an aging-in-place adult gets out to talk to someone, we’ve done our part.”
Beyond Ladder Up, Shipt has rolled out a community garden grant program in partnership with Target - with several Detroit-area nonprofits recently announced as recipients - and a Community Impact Grant targeting organizations running or launching teaching farms, mobile markets, or food hubs. Applications for the latter are open through June 12.
Smith says the company’s decade-plus presence in Michigan makes the investment personal. “At the core of what we do is human connection. We feel like our people, that’s our secret sauce.”
The Northwest Detroit Farmers Market opens its season Thursday, June 4, from 4–8 p.m. More information on Shipt’s community programs is available at shipt.com/community.