From One Benefit to a Broader Pathway
Written by mRelief
Overview
Below is a summary of the findings from mRelief’s recent collaboration with Maryland Department of Human Services. You can read the full impact report here.
Project Summary
Introduction
Families too often encounter public benefits as a series of disconnected systems. A household receiving Summer EBT may also be eligible for SNAP, but without a clear bridge between programs, families are left to navigate separate rules, systems, and application processes on their own. Too often, that means a moment of eligibility becomes a missed opportunity for support.
In Maryland, mRelief and the Maryland Department of Human Services showed what it looks like to change that.
With support from Share Our Strength, the partnership launched a targeted outreach campaign connecting families receiving Summer EBT to SNAP eligibility information and enrollment support. Using state-provided data, mRelief identified families most likely to qualify and reached them through direct SMS outreach designed to be clear, timely, and easy to act on.
Results
170,700 Maryland households with children reached through targeted SMS outreach to SUN Bucks families
28,401 households began eligibility screening (17% engagement)
2,700+ families newly enrolled in SNAP as a result of the campaign, strengthening food access for children and households statewide
$5.5 million in estimated federal food assistance unlocked to support Maryland families and advance efforts to reduce childhood hunger
Larger Implications
This partnership with Maryland became a powerful proof point for cross-enrollment: the idea that one benefit interaction can become a gateway to longer-term support when the right partners, data, funding, messaging, and technology are aligned.
This work depended on collective action across every level. Maryland DHS brought policy expertise and data. Share Our Strength provided critical resources. Across mRelief, teams in partnerships, development, data, product, and design moved quickly to translate a complex systems challenge into a practical and scalable pathway for families.
That is where mRelief’s value is clearest. Our work does not stop at helping families complete SNAP applications; we help partners see where a single benefit touchpoint can become a broader access opportunity. By combining public-sector data, community-centered outreach, human-centered design, and scalable technology, mRelief turns fragmented systems into coordinated pathways of support.
The lessons from Maryland are already shaping what comes next. As states face growing administrative complexity, shifting federal policy, and continued pressure to close access gaps, mRelief is positioned to help partners scale approaches that are both effective and responsive to community needs. That includes targeted messaging that resonates across diverse populations, support for state benefit redemption strategies, and outreach embedded into recertification and redetermination moments so eligible families can stay connected to the support they need.
This work also points to a broader opportunity: building coordinated access frameworks across states to ensure communities receive the support they need in a shifting policy environment. Whether families are applying for SNAP for the first time, redeeming benefits, or working to remain enrolled, mRelief’s approach combines trusted outreach, data-informed strategy, and accessible technology to reduce burden and increase connection.
The future of benefits access depends on pathways that meet families where they are, rather than asking them to navigate fragmented systems alone. In Maryland, collective action turned one moment of connection into thousands of new pathways to food assistance, and offered a model for what integrated benefits access can look like at scale.
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