After wrapping up the COVID-19 relief campaign, we reached out to recipients to share their stories on how the pandemic has affected their families and livelihood. While heartbreaking and poignant, their stories below show that your generosity truly does make a difference.
Recipient Stories
We found out about the Expensify.org campaign through a friend, and applied because we desperately needed help. Everyone in my household has lost their jobs. We have almost lost everything several times, but God always finds a way. Life is hard, but we manage to get by somehow. We are all mentally and emotionally hurt by this pandemic, but this campaign has helped us put food on the table
This year has been extremely rough on my family and I. My grandfather passed away and we couldn’t have a funeral for him. That was so hard. I worry about paying our bills and having enough money to support my family. I found out about this campaign on Facebook and applied because we really needed the extra money. It taught me that there are people out there who actually care!
I'm a single mother of two teenage daughters - my food budget was busted when the pandemic hit and they stopped being able to eat at school. We were all trying very hard to be creative with cheap meals and eating lots of Ramen noodles, so we ate them with chopsticks to feel fancy and like it was special.
My small business of selling second-hand items from my garage is over now. I had no employees, and I didn't apply for any government assistance, I just spent the summer trying to make ends meet whatever way I could. Even the pawn shops were closed - how can you sell your precious prized items for food if the pawn shops are closed?
Expensify.org went above and beyond by helping us financially. For Expensify to reach out of its usual customer base and extend a helping hand to folks on food stamps and people who would probably otherwise never have used their services and probably still won't, shows how much they care. This campaign helped me keep my lights on.
I've become even more secluded and introverted. I've tried not to be afraid. I searched Google for any food banks that were open, and thankfully came across the Expensify.org campaign. I’m so happy there are still caring people in the world. It was really nice not to worry about food for a few days.
My husband is terminally ill. It’s been hard to deal with doctor appointments, getting tested etc. We have three small kids that have been stuck in the house for fear of bringing Covid home to him. I haven’t been able to get a part time job for the same reason. We are fighting for my husband’s social security benefits, which has been made much harder by the shut down. Right now we are in fear of having our electric cut off. It has all just been a test but we are still blessed with our family being able to be together. We found out about the Expensify.org/hunger campaign through a friend and it’s helped us greatly: as soon as it hit the bank it went straight to my husband’s nutritional supplements. I can’t express enough thanks from my family for that gift.
I am a single low-income mother. My son and I both already had lung issues so the pandemic has totally changed our lives. I have a part-time job at home and my income was cut in half! There were some days I would go without food (even though I am diabetic) just so my son could have food. I had to contact his school to ask for help. Now we are both at the point where we are scared to leave the house. I'm scared of my son going back to school and him getting sick, or bringing something home to me and me getting sick. He’s in middle school and right now he is able to stay home and do online learning, but I know eventually he will have to go back. All of my bills are still behind. This campaign helped me with money when I needed it the most.
I read about the Expensify campaign in an online group for people helping others. Money was stretched so thin, I rely on SNAP benefits for food and with the increased prices I couldn't afford anything. I had surgery at the end of February, I’m disabled and on a fixed income and the increased prices on necessities has made it very hard to pay my basic bills. Every month we fall a little behind. The money from Expensify.org helped so much to continue buying essentials. I can't thank you all enough.
We were actually served a notice to vacate our home when Covid first started. We were homeless, living in a hotel with our three boys aged one, two and 14 years old. Covid also cost my husband his job, so as well as being homeless, we lost our income too. We’ve struggled to make sure our bills are paid and that we have food to put on the table. We’re having to pick and choose what bills we pay so that we’re able to eat. [The campaign] was a true blessing to be able to get some money back from what we were spending on food.
The pandemic has been devastating, my fledgling small business was stopped before it had even fully started. All my savings and ability to self-support are gone. My emotional well being is at breaking point, I’m terrified to go anywhere, the small enjoyable parts of my life have been taken away, to the point where I’m at a loss some days as to why to get out of bed. This campaign was the only support I received during this crisis. Long after the immediacy of the initial lockdowns were gone, [Expensify.org] still cared enough to continue working on what they offered. It made me feel that someone noticed me. Thank you
Thanks to our generous donors and Expensify cardholders, we were able to support close to 5,000 families with nearly $250,000 in reimbursements.
Our First Campaign
Shortly after Expensify.org’s launch, the coronavirus pandemic hit with devastating consequences for low-income families, including the millions of people living below the poverty line. As millions of businesses around the nation began shutting down indefinitely, hourly workers became the hardest hit. At the same time, schools were closing down, and families with kids whose primary meals happen at school became especially vulnerable. Oftentimes, the two groups of people overlapped, leaving families unable to support themselves with even the most basic necessities.
With those realizations, we chose to direct all existing Expensify.org funds to help support low-income families purchase essential grocery items.
As soon as word spread about the campaign, we were floored by the amount of demand. We had thousands of applicants in a matter of hours, and it was clear that the need for food support around the nation was vast and unrelenting. While we were saddened at the amount of requests that came in, we were also amazed by the pure generosity and spirit of community that formed in order to help out a complete stranger during an unprecedented time.
