"About 5 million people use Propel's app to check their SNAP balances, and get coupons and discounts on groceries. That gives Chen a pretty good view into how they're being affected by the federal government's unprecedented delay in sending out November payments. "Their budgets are already extremely tight. There's usually not a lot of wiggle room," Chen says. "So a delay of even a few days on an expected deposit ends up being a really, really huge deal.""
"Now his company is trying to bridge that gap, joining other private businesses, nonprofits, and individuals scrambling to offset the government's delayed SNAP payments. On Saturday, Propel started giving payments of $50 to people using its app, prioritizing those with children and little or no income. "We understand that $50 is not enough," Chen says, adding that Propel is trying to reach the largest number of families and "provide an amount that gives them a little bit of breathing room.""
Jimmy Chen experienced childhood hunger while growing up in Kansas City. Propel, a Brooklyn tech company, provides a free app for SNAP beneficiaries used by about 5 million people to check balances and access coupons. A federal delay in November SNAP payments left many users with squeezed budgets. Propel began distributing $50 payments to users, prioritizing households with children and little or no income, identifying about 230,000 high-need recipients. Propel donated $1 million toward a $10 million funding goal and partnered with organizations including Robin Hood, Babylist, and GiveDirectly, which has raised about $6 million so far.
Read at www.npr.org
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]