For millions of American families, food insecurity has little to do with whether someone is working. It has everything to do with whether work pays enough, stays consistent, and comes with the stability needed to plan for basic needs. This is the reality Lemontree, a nonprofit food assistance platform, confronts every day — and it's a reality that overlaps closely with the workplace and employment challenges Empower Work exists to address.

Work in the U.S. is not working. 47.8 million workers quit their jobs in 2021, an average of 4 million per month. The data is clear. But the lived experiences of workers are missing. Those experiences point to a public health crisis.

As we recognize Labor Day 2021, 18 months have passed since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged across the world and upended workplaces here at home. At Empower Work, we talk directly every day with workers who reach out for support in moments of distress, and we’ve exchanged nearly 200,000 messages since March 2020. Through thousands of vulnerable moments shared, we have a unique view into what people are facing—and what we can do to support them.