For Immediate Release:
October 28, 2021
Media Contacts
Amy Webb, Chief of Communications & Community Engagement
amy.webb@dhs.arkansas.gov
Gavin Lesnick, Deputy Chief of Communications
gavin.lesnick.dhs@dhs.arkansas.gov
Clients who get food assistance benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) now have the option to shop for eligible food items and pay online through Arkansas-based Harps Food Stores, the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) announced today.
“DHS is thrilled to have another local chain of stores partnering with us to help our clients easily access eligible foods,” said Mary Franklin, Director of the DHS Division of County Operations.
Last year, the Food Nutrition Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved Arkansas’s request to join the nationwide pilot. Because of the public health emergency, USDA allowed states to expedite participation in what had been a limited pilot to give clients alternatives to in-person shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are excited to expand our e-commerce capabilities to better serve the communities that we operate in. We appreciate the efforts of both DHS and Instacart to help us add SNAP benefits for our customers,” said David Ganoung, Vice President of Marketing and Advertising for Harps Food Stores.
Walmart, Amazon, Aldi, Brookshire’s Food and Pharmacy, City Markets, Hays Supermarket, and Super 1 Foods also accept SNAP online orders. Both Walmart and Amazon were part of the original nationwide pilot through the USDA. Harps completed the process with the USDA Food and Nutrition Service and became an active online retailer over the weekend.
All SNAP clients can use their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards to shop and pay online through participating retailers for eligible food items. SNAP benefits cannot be used to pay membership or delivery fees. Clients can add the items to their carts, choose EBT as their payment method, enter their PIN number, and choose pick-up or delivery options as needed.
SNAP currently serves about 171,000 households and a total of 352,000 people in Arkansas.
