TikTok mother's viral baby formula experiment exposes religious institutions refusing aid

TikToker Nikalie Monroe has drawn national attention with a social experiment revealing how many churches fail to act on their own teachings of compassion.

Pretending to be a new mother unable to afford baby formula, Monroe called dozens of houses of worship across the United States to see who would help.

Her recordings, shared online, show that most refused assistance or redirected her to external charities. At East Somerset Baptist Church in Kentucky, staff explained they stopped helping directly two years ago. Another, First Christian Church of Somerset, said they could only assist known members.

Even large congregations, such as Victory Christian Fellowship and Abundant Church in Texas, offered little more than referrals.

Monroe’s series of 39 videos, viewed hundreds of thousands of times, found that only nine religious institutions, including a Catholic church, a Buddhist temple, and an Islamic centre, offered immediate support.

In one call, the Islamic Center of Charlotte responded without hesitation, asking which formula was needed and inviting her to collect it.

Some viewers argue Monroe’s calls targeted the wrong contacts, yet others note that if a public church number cannot connect a caller to real help, the issue runs deeper. As Monroe, once a teen mother herself, pointed out, “It’s not even that they don’t have it; it’s that they won’t even try.”

Her project has sparked broader discussion about the gap between belief and practice in faith communities.