Case Study: City of Chelsea achieves streamlined emergency food assistance with PEX

City of Chelsea - Customer Case Study

City of Chelsea, led by City Manager Tom Ambrosino, faced acute food and financial insecurity among residents during the COVID-19 pandemic—dense living conditions, many nontraditional workers left without income, and stretched city resources after the National Guard departed. Seeking a more dignified, efficient way to help residents, the City turned to PEX and its PEX card program to move beyond large-scale food distributions and streamline aid delivery.

PEX implemented a customized Chelsea Eats prepaid card program using numerical identifiers; over 3,600 applications were received and 2,000 cards were distributed in two weeks, with monthly loads of $200–$400. The program was extended from six to nine months, cost roughly $6.5 million, and delivered measurable operational benefits—reduced distribution overhead, robust fraud alerts and easy reporting dashboards—helping residents buy food and easing administrative burden for the City.

City of Chelsea

Tom Ambrosino

City Manager