A chef's answer to disaster relief: skip the shelf-stable rations, hire the local restaurant, and get a hot plate to people before the aid convoys arrive.
Canary is a New York-based benefits company that helps employers, nonprofits, and foundations give employees fast, dignified cash grants when a financial emergency hits. Its flagship product, Grant Circle, handles the legal, tax, and administrative machinery of running an employee relief fund so an organization can move money to a worker facing an eviction, a medical bill, or a natural disaster in days rather than weeks. Founded by Rachel Schneider - co-author of The Financial Diaries - Canary has channeled millions in emergency grants to workers, with an average grant of roughly $848.