TikToker Nikalie Monroe has gone viral in recent weeks for a series of videos she billed as a “social experiment.” The study, such as it was, involved calling churches — and at least one mosque — and asking for help. Monroe pretended to have lost her Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits due to the government shutdown, and was struggling to feed her baby. (While she has said she is the mother of an eight-year-old, Monroe doesn’t have an infant.) “I have a two-month-old baby,” she said in one call. “And I ran out of formula last night. I was wanting to see if y’all could help with formula.”

According to her tally, approximately a quarter of the churches she contacted offered her direct aid, the only response Monroe was willing to count as having volunteered assistance

See Full Page