Who We Are
Jenerus is a platform that seeks to alleviate food insecurity through crowdfunding online grocery carts.
Jenerus is anonymous and contact-free, providing client choice of fresh food, funded by people who care about the dignity of our participants and want to see an end to food insecurity.
What We Believe
Jenerus revolves around treating all individuals with respect. Any community member experiencing chronic or temporary financial hardship deserves the right to food that is fresh and safe, meeting dietary restrictions and nutritional needs. We believe that all people deserve the dignity of choosing their own food based on their unique situation.
We believe in Client Choice.
Jenerus allows people to select their own groceries from an online service such as Instacart or Walmart Groceries. This allows all Jenerus users the dignity of choice. We believe that no one knows what a family needs more than the family being served. Whether it’s a trusted brand, a traditional meal, or a dietary restriction for a young child, food choice shapes the home experience.
We believe in fresh food.
When food is bought and shipped directly from trusted online grocery services to our Jenerus participants, parents don’t have to worry about the potential pitfalls of receiving expired food for their children. Jenerus food comes directly from the store. We believe that all community members deserve access to the same quality of food.
We believe in equal access to time-saving, contact-free home delivery.
Brave citizens are daily volunteering at pantries to distribute food, as Americans in need line up to receive much-needed groceries. Being able to receive groceries in person through volunteer food distribution is a vital resource. However, we believe that all people, regardless of socioeconomic or employment status, deserve time-saving, safe, and contact-free options for home food delivery. This is especially important in the current pandemic.
We believe in the right to maintain privacy when receiving help.
We understand that, especially on an online platform, privacy and the option of anonymity are essential. That’s why Jenerus does not require our users to display their names or give information that they aren’t comfortable with. We believe that all people deserve to receive needed assistance without having to release the personal details of their identity. All information given is completely optional.
How We Work
Jenerus has a simple method of helping our donors give money towards our participant’s online grocery expenses, working towards ending food insecurity one shopping cart at a time.
Get Started
First, participants sign up through our website or app. An anonymous user name can be created for full privacy, and there is no need to upload any images. We make it convenient for anyone using our services to shop in well-known stores, such as Instacart or Walmart Groceries. All the shopping happens right within our Chrome extension or our mobile apps, making the entire process easy to complete in one place.
Upload Grocery Carts
Participants easily “sync” finished grocery carts to our platform, where financial givers can fund their food. Participants set a date by which the groceries are needed.
Find Carts Based on Categories of Need
Next, participants leave an optional few sentences about their current life situation, including selecting categories that sum up some of their life experiences. Since Jenerus does not give an income cut-off for those who need help, using categories allows our donors to get a snap-shot of why their support is needed. Categories are also an important way of allowing donors to find individuals walking through life situations that they can relate to or want to support.
Find and Fund Grocery Carts — Family is Fed
Donors are then easily able to find people that they can support, by reading the information given and responding to the need. Donors are able to donate any amount towards participant’s grocery bills, and leave encouraging messages of support. When the full cart is funded, Jenerus issues a one-time use credit card. This serves similar to a “gift card” which participants can use to check out and receive their food. This gift card only works on the grocery website where the cart was created, allowing donors the assurance that their money is going to the purpose they are giving towards funding grocery carts. Jenerus walks participants through paying with this one-time use card within the platform, itself.
What is Food Insecurity?
Food insecurity is a form of economic hardship in which a household does not have access to enough food in order to live a healthy life. With 50 million Americans experiencing food insecurity, this stands as one of the most important health and nutritional issues of our time. A food-insecure home may worry about not having enough food for their next meal, or cut down the size of a child’s meal in order to make ends meet. Individuals with pre-existing conditions and dietary restrictions are unable to afford specialized food to meet their needs. For example, individuals with diabetes may not be able to afford a diabetic diet.
Some of the many effects of food insecurity include:
- Anemia
- Asthma
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Depression and Anxiety
- Thoughts of suicide
- Increase in hospitalizations
Although government programs exist (such as SNAP, formerly called “Food Stamps”), many people remain food insecure even while receiving benefits. People may feel stigmatized applying for SNAP, and the money given is not always enough to meet a family’s needs. Additionally, many food-insecure households make too much money to qualify for government assistance.
How does Jenerus work to alleviate food insecurity?
Jenerus works towards the goal of alleviating food insecurity by addressing three main areas:
We provide personal help, directly connecting the donor with a person in need.
Emergency food is distributed primarily through institutions: government programs, non-profit organizations, and faith-based organizations. Jenerus seeks to add a more personal touch to the solution, by allowing one individual to support another directly through donations. The personal nature of Jenerus allows one person to help another with specific needs that go above what they are receiving through institutions, so they have enough food for the month to feed their family.
We leverage pre-existing food distribution services.
Jenerus allows people to receive their groceries using already existing delivery services, without the need for volunteers to buy, donate, and distribute food. Since carts are funded on websites like Instacart and Walmart Groceries, delivery services already in place can safely deliver groceries. There is no limit to how many carts can be funded and how many people can receive their food every month.
We allow all people to receive specific food and goods that may not be available through pantries.
Jenerus aims to meet the specific needs that families have, without a “one size fits all” approach to ending food insecurity. We know that every family is unique and has special circumstances. Individuals with special medical diets can get the food that they need to stay healthy by purchasing their own groceries.
Is Jenerus a non-profit organization?
Jenerus is a non-profit organization. Jenerus is a non-profit crowdfunding platform. Using a model that is not government funded, we have the privilege to be able to uphold the values of client choice, fresh food, and the option of contact-free delivery and anonymity for all of our users. This is made possible by our Jenerus donors, concerned individuals like anyone else, wanting to make sure that all people are equally able to avoid food insecurity during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.
What makes Jenerus different than a food pantry?
Jenerus values and affirms the necessary and critical work of food pantries in our country. We do not seek to replace this important and needed work, but to come alongside it and serve the patrons who need additional help.
A food pantry may not be enough for an individual or family when a person:
- Needs more food to live a healthy life than a pantry is able to give.
- Needs specific items that have not been donated to the pantry.
- Does not meet the pantry’s financial cut-off criteria for assistance, as set by grants.
- Needs additional non-food items that one would get at a grocery store, such as diapers and paper towels.
- Works during a pantry’s distribution hours.
- Does not have the capacity to transport heavy bags home.
- Is homebound, and not connected to a pantry with home delivery options.
- Is unable to wait in line or shop at a pantry, due to being high risk of severe complications related to Covid-19.
Jenerus can fill these gaps with a wide selection of food and item options sent via home delivery.
Is Jenerus meant to replace SNAP benefits or emergency food sources?
No. Jenerus is crowdfunded supplemental food. It is not meant to take the place of SNAP benefits, government assistance programs such as WIC, or emergency food sources such as food pantries. It is intended to fill the gaps left by the current systems in place to address food insecurity.
Why use Jenerus for helping fund groceries, as opposed to an alternative crowdfunding site?
For participants: As Jenerus’ sole function is helping our user’s grocery bills get funded, you can rest assured that your need for food will not be buried under thousands of requests for various other needs. Getting enough food is critically important and serving our users in this way is our one and only goal, where all our resources are focused.
For donors: Jenerus is the only platform currently available that allows users to shop within an app or extension directly, posting an individual’s actual grocery cart for funding. Once the cart is funded, the money raised can only be used at the online grocery store or service posted. This allows donors to rest assured that the money they are giving is going towards a grocery bill directly and not being used for other purposes.
