*Attorney Antonio Moore looks at several signs that we are in the midst of some awful economic times. Moore starts by pointing to a recent story that Americans are turning to GoFundMe to crowdsource for grocery donations.
During a new conversation on the Opening Bid Unfiltered podcast (see the video above), GoFundMe CEO Tim Cadogan shared that groceries are becoming a hotter topic for fundraising. “In some cases, very sadly, that is happening,” he told Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi. “We’re seeing it more and more.”
GoFundMe often serves as a way to reach out to the recipient’s circles to raise money for a specific goal. Medical or sudden death expenses are often at the top, but the platform also raises money for other causes.
“One indicator that’s interesting is we have a category we call essentials,” Cadogan said. Rent, utility bills, and car payments fall under this category.
Rising Food Prices Push Families to Crowdfund Basics
Beyond groceries, the broader rise of crowdfunding for everyday living expenses underscores how precarious many Americans’ finances have become. According to a 2024 LendingClub report, more than 60% of U.S. adults now live paycheck to paycheck, including nearly half of those earning over $100,000 annually. This suggests that even middle- and upper-income households are struggling to keep up with inflation and the high cost of living.
GoFundMe, which launched in 2010, has traditionally been associated with raising money for medical emergencies, funeral costs, and disaster relief. However, as CEO Tim Cadogan noted, the “essentials” category has grown significantly, reflecting new economic realities. A 2023 study by Pew Research Center found that 18% of Americans had either started a fundraiser or contributed to one for basic household expenses like rent and food. This shift highlights how crowdfunding is becoming a de facto safety net in the absence of sufficient wages or robust social programs.
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The trend is also mirrored in government data. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that in 2023, over 44 million people lived in food-insecure households, an increase of 10% from the prior year. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows grocery prices have risen nearly 25% since 2020, outpacing wage growth for most workers. These pressures are forcing families to seek creative—and often desperate—solutions to cover their basic needs.
Economists warn that relying on platforms like GoFundMe for survival reflects a deep structural issue. Crowdfunding is inherently unequal: those with larger social networks or higher visibility often succeed, while vulnerable individuals without those connections are left behind. Moore’s framing on the Opening Bid Unfiltered podcast emphasizes that what once were considered extraordinary fundraising appeals—such as for medical bills—are now joined by campaigns to simply put food on the table, a sobering indicator of the times.
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