The Groups Where Thousands of Facebook Users Ask for Money

Peer-to-peer aid groups have become a lifeline for those who can’t cover small expenses.

I wrote about how more and more Americans are living paycheck to paycheck and can’t pay small expenses, so they’re turning to Facebook peer-to-peer aid groups to quite literally beg for money.

The groups have names like “give me your money,” “PayPal Prayers and Blessings,” “App Blessings,” “Give Me Some $$$ (strangers helping strangers and paying it forward),” and dozens more. In them, people ask for small amounts of money; most have caps of $500 per post. In many of the groups, women—often moms—make most of the requests, looking for money for diapers, formula, or help paying for childcare. But the groups are also populated by students trying to make ends meet, people with medical debt, and, occasionally, people just asking if anyone would buy their family pizza for the night.”

“No one really has the money to save up in bank accounts,” Kenrick said. “When there’s an emergency, there is no backup plan. These groups are it.”

Read the full piece here: The Rise of Facebook ‘Blessings’ Groups