"When the federal shutdown began in October, she wasn't worried about losing her benefits - she said she is used to government "foolishness." But circumstances got dicey when the budget impasse entered its second month and President Donald Trump took the unprecedented step of freezing November SNAP payments. With one child who eats gluten free and another with many allergies, specialty items already drove up her grocery bill."
"Then Grant logged into Propel, an app used by 5 million people to manage their electronic benefits transfers, where she saw a pop-up banner inviting her to apply for a relief program. Within a minute she'd completed a survey and about two days later she got a virtual $50 gift card. The total didn't come close to her monthly SNAP allotment. But the Palm Bay, Florida, resident said it was enough to buy a customized " Bluey " birthday cake for her son."
"Nearly a quarter of a million families got that same cash injection from the nonprofit GiveDirectly as they missed SNAP deposits many need to feed their households. The collaboration with Propel proved to be the largest disaster response in the international cash assistance group's history outside of COVID-19; non-pandemic records were set with the $12 million raised, more than 246,000 beneficiaries enrolled and 5,000 individual donors reached."
A federal shutdown and a presidential freeze on November SNAP payments left low-income families facing sudden food-assistance disruptions. Households with special dietary needs faced higher grocery costs and greater vulnerability. An app used to manage electronic benefits transfers connected users to an emergency relief program, enabling rapid small cash deliveries. A nonprofit raised $12 million and partnered with the app to deliver virtual gift cards to more than 246,000 beneficiaries, marking the group's largest non-COVID disaster response. Recipients used the assistance for immediate needs such as birthday celebrations and household groceries.
Read at Fortune
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