Over the past few weeks, a Kentucky woman’s controversial “social experiment” went viral on TikTok as she “tested” local religious centers to see how they would respond to a mother in need of baby formula.
What she found ― and the larger reaction to it online ― is ultimately telling about what Americans really think about the state of charitable giving from faith groups. However, it also highlights the complex reality of doing good and providing for communities as a donor-funded safety net to the federal government.
It all started when Nikalie Monroe set out to test the reliability of local religious centers (churches, mosques, temples, etc.) to see how the groups would assist a mom with a hungry baby. Monroe dials up an organization on speaker phone, playing a track of a crying baby in the background. When someone answers, she tells them she hasn’t been able to feed her baby and asks them if they’d be willing to give her a can of formula.
“For those of you who actually go to church and donate your hard-earned money, do you actually know what your money goes to?” Monroe asked in a Tiktok explaining the thought behind the experiment. “Because I know some of you can’t really afford much and you give what you can and that takes money out of your own mouth.”
