Andrew Yang nonprofit to dole out checks to 500 households

Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang’s nonprofit on Friday announced that it is doling out $1,000 checks to 500 families in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Yang’s group, Humanity Forward, said it is sending “at least” $500,000 to 500 households total, consisting mostly of the “working poor” in the Bronx in response to the pandemic. The families will receive their $1,000 checks in the next two weeks.

Humanity Forward will also match its first $500,000 to provide relief to 500 more families who request emergency funds directly from the group, bringing its total commitment to $1 million to families across the country.

“The coronavirus outbreak has absolutely devastated local economic activity, and working families are feeling it most,” Yang said. “Many feel like they don’t have money for groceries or rent, even as their child’s school shuts down. Our goal is to get money into their hands as quickly as possible so they can focus on keeping themselves and their families healthy.”

“This is exactly what our government should do, and we are doing it now so that families can get relief as quickly as possible.” 

Beyond the direct donations to families, Humanity Forward is also partnering with One Fair Wage (OFW) to help send payments to service workers who are bearing the brunt of the economic impact of the coronavirus.

“Literally millions of service workers from restaurants and other personal care businesses have been laid off due to COVID-19,” said OFW President Saru Jayaraman. “Thanks to Andrew Yang and Humanity Forward, we will be able to provide thousands of New York service workers with cash relief of $213 — symbolizing the fact that the subminimum wage for tipped workers is still a paltry $2.13 an hour.” 

The efforts are the first major move by the group, which Yang launched earlier this month, to focus on the issues he promoted in his White House campaign, including a universal basic income. 

Yang, who rose from a political unknown at the start of the presidential bid to a social media phenomenon, centered his ultimately failed campaign around providing $1,000 a month for every U.S. adult, pressuring tech companies to compensate people for the use of their information and warning of the impact automation will have on jobs.