✅ New: the 2-minute check is live. Before or after any episode — techempower.org/qualify screens your household against dozens of verified programs in about two minutes. Anonymous: your answers never leave your device. English & Spanish. (Launched July 3, 2026 — built from this show's fact-checked research.)
Wait, I Qualify?! is TechEMPOWER's video series about public benefits you probably already qualify for — and how to actually get them. Hosted by Shawna and Jeff, produced with Nevada County Media.
Most people qualify for more help than they think — and every year, billions of dollars in benefits go unclaimed because eligible people never apply. Each episode takes one slice of everyday life — internet, food, housing, transportation — and walks through the real programs: who qualifies, what you get, and exactly how to apply. Every number is fact-checked against primary sources before we say it on camera.
Episodes
Episode 1 — You Qualify for More Than You Think
The myth-busting opener. The four myths that stop people from ever applying: "benefits are only for the truly destitute," "I'd be taking it from someone who needs it more," "good people don't take handouts," and "it's scary — what if I do it wrong?"
🎬 About 15 minutes · recorded at Nevada County Media · watch on YouTube
Episode 2 — Getting Connected
Free and low-cost internet and phone: the LifeLine discounts you can stack, low-cost home internet plans, free library hotspots, cheap refurbished computers, and real humans who help for free.
🎬 About 14 minutes · recorded July 6, 2026 at Nevada County Media · watch on YouTube
Episode 3 — Food
CalFresh (and how much it really pays), WIC, free school and summer meals, senior meals, the food bank and pantries, and the farmers-market EBT match — plus the no-paperwork help you can get today.
Recorded July 27, 2026 at Nevada County Media — now in editing.
Episode 4 — Home + Transportation
In production — the script is written and fact-checked; recording date to be announced.
Episode 5 — Nonprofits + Farmers
In production — the script is written and fact-checked; recording date to be announced.
Get help now — don't wait for the episode
- 📞 Dial 2-1-1 from any phone — that's 211 Connecting Point here in Nevada County. Free, confidential, answered 24/7, in English and Spanish. A real person helps you find food, housing, health care, and more.
- 🔎 findhelp.org — type in your ZIP code and see free and reduced-cost programs near you.
- 📚 Browse our Resources — every program from the show, and a lot more, in plain language.
- 💬 Join our Discord — free one-on-one help from our community. We answer.
Episodes are recorded at Nevada County Media and land here and on YouTube when each edit is finished. Wait, I Qualify?! is a project of TechEMPOWER, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Grass Valley, California, dedicated to digital equity, inclusion, and accessibility.