During the COVID-19 pandemic, not everyone has been able to make ends meet. Many people are struggling to pay rent and are currently facing eviction. In Austin, TX, a company called theCHIVE wanted to lend a helping hand.
John Resig, the founder and CEO of theCHIVE, said in a statement "I just decided to go to social media with a blank checkbook and tell people if they wrote in via email, and I just gave them my personal email, that I'd go ahead and cut them a check for their rent."
Quickly, people flooded his inbox and he began flooding theirs with $500 checks. While many people needed the cash, many others wanted to donate and help out. He decided to set up a goFundMe with the goal of $20,000. They broke that goal almost instantly.
"It's in a way, it restores our faith in humanity that they're really good people out there who want to help and do the right thing," says Resig.
As of right now, theCHIVE has helped raise over $460,000 for rent checks across the Austin area. While it began as a way to help a few people, it quickly became something much bigger than that.
As Resig puts it, "It really shows you not just the need, but how many people understand the need."