TikToker Nikalie Monroe has been calling churches across the country during the government shutdown, asking them for one thing: a small can of formula for a baby.
Monroe does not actually have a baby, but she has been calling as part of a social experiment to see what faith communities would do during a time when many families were facing empty cupboards and delayed SNAP benefits. Most of the churches Monroe called said no in some way, including First Baptist Church in Dallas.
Monroe began her call the same way she made all the others—asking for a can of formula for a baby who has gone without formula “all night and all day,” with the recording of a baby crying in the background. The person on the other end of the call first transfers her to another person, but it goes to voicemail. Monroe calls back, but the woman says she doesn’t know of any church programs for that. Monroe then admits there’s no baby, and she is in fact conducting an experiment “to see if churches would help feed a starving baby.” After a long pause, the woman on the other end asks, “What would you like for me to say?” At that point, Monroe asks her if she is pro-life. “Is your church pro-life?” she follows up. The woman hung up on her…