Ashlyn Hensley was getting desperate.

In March, after scanning the aisles at the local Publix, Walmart, Winn-Dixie and six other stores for baby formula for her son, Jaxon, she returned home empty-handed. Online stores had also run dry. 

Jaxon’s allergies require a specific formula, and it's difficult for Hensley to get her hands on it. The WIC program – the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children – helps cover costs for the specialty formula but can't make more product appear out of thin air.