Chicago group helps people get food benefits fast

Vivian Whitlock looked in her refrigerator and felt a flash of panic. Her hours as an in-home care provider had been cut in half because of COVID-19, and her entire paycheck went toward rent and utilities.

There was no money left for groceries.

Then, while browsing Facebook in late April, she came across a post from a Chicago organization called mRelief about their text message-based app that quickly helps people find out whether they qualify for SNAP benefits, and also helps them apply.

In the past six years, the nonprofit has helped more than 700,000 people across the country connect to potentially lifesaving benefits by texting.

Whitlock said that when she texted for help, she quickly received a call back. She learned the next day that her application had been approved, and she found a benefits card in her mailbox to cover $194 in groceries for the month a few days after that.

“Hallelujah! I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I went straight to the store and loaded up on fresh vegetables and fruit, coffee, cornmeal, oatmeal, grits, spaghetti sauce, bacon and eggs.”

The SNAP app used by Whitlock was developed six years ago by Rose Afriyie and Genevieve Nielsen, co-founders of the mRelief nonprofit.

It helps people who don’t know how to approach the system by asking them to answer 10 simple questions via text message, then telling them whether they’re eligible for the SNAP program - which is a federal initiative but is administered locally by states or counties.

If they are eligible, they can apply online or mRelief will direct them to a SNAP office in their community so an agent can help them complete the process over the phone. (Because of the pandemic, office appointments have been suspended.)

MRelief works with Catholic Charities of Chicago, a SNAP community partner, giving applicants the choice to receive a call from one of the agency’s caseworkers, eliminating hold times and streamlining the process to about 15 minutes.

“The process is much faster because the screeners we use with Catholic Community Services greatly simplify the ques

Danielle Thomas, mRelief administrative coordinator, helps out at a food bank pickup site in Chicago a few months ago. MUST CREDIT: Rose Afriyie