Post-Strike, Humanitas Continues Groceries for Writers

Every Wednesday, as they have done since the start of the WGA strike in May 2023, Humanitas sends out $100 grocery store gift cards to writers or support staff around the country who have requested them. 200 cards went out in the first round on May 12 as Humanitas launched its Groceries for Writers relief effort, followed by 169 more on May 16. As the summer progressed, between 15 and 30 cards would be donated per week.

Humanitas delivering groceries and supplies to writers during the WGA strike.

Groceries for Writers was born out of the organization’s love and appreciation for the work of writers. During the strike, in addition to the gift card distribution, Humanitas held pop-up events where people collected farm bundles of fresh fruit and vegetables in partnership with Earth Matterz. Post-strike, Humanitas also distributed school supplies and holiday meals. The organization sent out 485 grocery gift cards during the week leading up to Thanksiving.

The nonprofit’s program is not currently fielding as many requests for aid, with the numbers of cards distributed weekly usually landing in the low single digits in 2024. 

But whether the writer-focused nonprofit is sending out 500 cards a week or five, Humanitas representatives say that the program will continue as long as they have the resources and as long as a need continues to exist. 

Their research says that the need predates the strike and has not gone away. The industry-wide contraction in the post-peak TV era has affected writers, many of whom are having difficulty finding work. In some cases, particularly with lower-level writers and writing support staff, the results have led to food insecurity. 

Humanitas’s Groceries for Writers Food Insecurity Survey launched in September of 2023, and published in February of this year, found that nearly 62 percent of those who chose to take the survey said they sometimes, often, or always worried about having enough food for themselves and their families. More than 64 percent reported food insecurity having an impact on their physical health and more than 77 percent reported that food insecurity impacted their mental health. Over a 17-day span, a total of 100 film writers and 409 TV writers took the voluntary survey via the Humanitas website. Humanitas will launch a follow-up survey in September. 

“Through administering this project, we came to understand that the screenwriting community had been facing food insecurity before the strike started, and that persisted during the strike. So we had a strong feeling that it was going to outlast the strike,” said Humanitas Executive Director Michelle Franke. “As long as we had the resources, closing the Groceries for Writers project didn’t feel like it was on the table. We want to make it clear that folks can continue to come to us for support.”

Humanitas has since discontinued the farm bundle distribution, and the number of gift cards that a single person can receive is now capped at six. 

To date, Groceries for Writers has collected more than $300,000 in donations and distributed more than 3,200 gifts to writers and support staff across the country. Many of the contributions came from people who valued the work of writers and wanted to express their gratitude.

“These folks recognize writers’ place in their lives, the stories that they are telling and what they have meant to them, especially in the years following COVID how they have given them in many ways a rich inner life,” Franke said. “We kept hearing from people around the world reaching out to donate, sometimes a $5 donation, to say, ‘Thank you for how you have contributed to my life. I hope to be able to do something to change your situation in a meaningful way.’” 

This year will mark the 50th year that Humanitas has awarded its Humanitas Prizes to professional film and screenwriters. The organization also administers the New Voices Fellowship and College Screenwriting Awards. In November, Humanitas honored the WGA with its 2023 Voices of Change Award in recognition of the Guild’s efforts to help its members achieve higher wages and sustainable workplace conditions. 

Learn more about Groceries for Writers and the Groceries for Writers Food Insecurity Survey.