Simple, Safe, and Transparent

At Find a Grocery Buddy, we make helping families in need easy and secure.

You choose who to support, pay the full grocery total directly through PayPal, and our team places the verified Instacart order for you — no contact, no guesswork, and no personal information exchanged.

Step 1: Recipients Apply for Help

People experiencing temporary food insecurity — including SNAP recipients, furloughed government workers, and households facing short-term hardship — can apply for assistance.

Each applicant provides:

  • A shared Instacart link with their grocery list
  • Proof of need (e.g., SNAP letter, government ID, or hardship verification)
  • Their preferred grocery store brand

Every submission is manually reviewed by our team before being approved.

Only verified recipients appear on the site, with profiles displayed anonymously for privacy.

Step 2: Donors Choose a Family to Help

Helpers can browse a list of verified recipients across the United States.
Each listing includes:

  • A short story or background summary
  • The total Instacart grocery amount
  • Delivery tip amount
  • And the Program Support Fee breakdown

No personal details are ever shown publicly — just real families in need of temporary help.

Step 3: Pay Securely Through PayPal

When you decide to help, you’ll see a transparent cost summary before checkout:

Example:
Groceries: $82.30*
Delivery & Tip: $10.00
Program Support Fee (3.75% + $4.95): $8.41
Total: $100.71

Your payment covers everything — groceries, delivery, tip, and the small program fee that helps cover PayPal processing and administrative costs.

Payments are processed securely through PayPal, ensuring full protection for both donors and recipients.

We never store your payment data on our servers.

*Instacart fees are estimated at 9% of the cart amount.

Step 4: We Place the Instacart Order

Once your payment is received, our fulfillment team places the Instacart order on your behalf using the verified recipient’s shared cart.

This ensures:

  • Accurate, timely grocery orders
  • Complete recipient privacy
  • No need for you to coordinate delivery times or logistics

Recipients never see your name, contact details, or payment information.

Step 5: Receive Proof of Delivery

After the Instacart order is successfully placed, you’ll receive:

  1. A confirmation email for your payment
  2. A screenshot of the completed Instacart order once it’s fulfilled

Your impact doesn’t end there — verified, redacted receipts are later featured in our Impact Gallery so others can see the difference being made every day.

Privacy & Transparency

We take privacy seriously.

Recipient information — including names, addresses, and documentation — is never shared publicly.

Donors only see essential details to make informed choices.

All verification documents are securely deleted after review.

Why It Works

By removing barriers like direct contact, payment confusion, and refund delays, we make it easy for generosity to turn into groceries — fast.

Accountability:

Every order is verified and documented.

Dignity:

Recipients receive groceries directly without exposuring their identity.

Security:

All transactions handled through trusted systems.

Transparency:

Donors see exactly what their funds accomplish.

When you give, we take care of the details — so every act of kindness becomes a cart full of food for someone who needs it most.