Claire Bryan is reporting for the Times Union SNAP recipients will now be able to buy groceries from discount supermarket chain Aldi and have them delivered to their home for free for a limited time, via the Instacart app. The partnership with Instacart means Aldi is joining Walmart, Amazon, and ShopRite in the Capital Region in providing delivery services to Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program recipients during the ongoing pandemic. There are more than 51,000 SNAP recipients in Albany County, according to the county. Amy Klein, the chief executive officer of the nonprofit Capital Roots, which delivers fresh produce to locations deemed to be food deserts within the Capital Region, said this service would be a great, but stressed the importance of transparency around the delivery service cost. Instacart will be waiving its delivery and service fees for SNAP beneficiaries during a 90-day period which began December 16, for the first three orders. After the third order, the recipient would pay a $3.99 delivery fee plus a five percent service fee, if they are not an Instacart Express member, according to a spokeswoman for the company. Amazon is providing free delivery for SNAP recipients ordering more than $25 worth of groceries; Walmart charges a delivery cost that can be paid for with EBT cash benefits from a different welfare program or a personal credit or debit card. ShopRite also charges a fee that is not covered by SNAP benefits. “I think this would be a huge help,” said Mike Maloney, the assistant service director of community resources at Unity House of Troy. But he warned that technology could create a big snag in access for SNAP beneficiaries. “A lot of this is done online and a lot of our folks don’t have computers or Wi-Fi,” Maloney said. Read the full story story in the Times Union.