The pandemic has left millions hungry. This group helps people get food benefits fast, by text.

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.

“I was really worried,” said Whitlock, 62, who lives alone in Evanston, Ill., just north of Chicago. “When I went to the store for the first time after losing half my pay, I had a reality check. I ended up buying a lot of ramen noodles because my money wouldn’t stretch far enough.”