Instacart Crowdsources Donations to Help LA Schools Affected by Wildfires

Instacart has launched a Classroom Carts initiative to support 28 Los Angeles County public and charter schools and nearly 15,000 students affected by the wildfires earlier this year. These Classroom Carts allow people across the country to support students and teachers by donating essential supplies directly to impacted schools.

The company partnered with Tony Thurmond, who is the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, as well as the Los Angeles County Office of Education and the Pasadena and Los Angeles Unified School Districts, and has kickstarted the initiative with a $1 million donation to the area’s major education foundations.

Instacart users can select the Classroom Carts banner on the app and select from the 28 participating schools, shopping for as many items as they choose from a curated list based on each school’s needs. Instacart partners with a variety of retailers in the area that carry school and office supplies, home goods, technology and more. A local shopper will shop and deliver the donated items, and Instacart will consolidate donated items for each school; the company is waiving all delivery and service fees on these orders.

“The recent wildfires have had a devastating impact on the Los Angeles community, with schools being some of the hardest-hit institutions,” said Fidji Simo, CEO and board Chair of Instacart, and a LA resident, in a statement. “Teachers and administrators are working around the clock to restore a sense of normalcy, but they can’t do it alone. With Classroom Carts, we’re giving people across the country a simple and meaningful way to step in and directly contribute the items schools have said they need.”

The Classroom Carts initiative builds off of Instacart’s initial LA Fire Relief Community Carts campaign, which has provided more than 50,000 essential items to 17 local YMCAs and community food banks in the LA area.