So I recently got a sizeable donation on GoFundMe, and I need to know how best to handle it. I want you all to know that my finances are pretty dire, and there's nothing I could have done to prevent this. So please just keep an open mind when reading this.

Anyway, about that GoFundMe donation. Here is what I'm looking at:

• GoFundMe is sending me a paper check. More on that below.
  
• I cannot afford bank account fees, so I do not have a bank account. I do not qualify for any exemptions I have looked into, such as direct deposit or making 10 purchases a month. I have a PayPal debit card instead. A PayPal account does not have an ACH or account number, so I cannot deposit the check into my PayPal account.
  
• My finances really ARE tight. Buying 10 packs of gum to avoid a monthly fee could be the difference between getting toothpaste or doing without. I do not have direct deposit, because I do not get a paycheck every single month. Because I use PayPal, the money transfer takes longer, and bleeds over into the next month, and I often get paid every other month. Even if I did, I only make $50 each pay period, so I don't have enough to open an account in the first place.
  
• GoFundMe will not transfer the funds to PayPal. And the settings for my withdrawal options apparently defaulted to "paper check," so they are sending me a paper check. But I do not have a bank account, so I cannot deposit it. And I cannot change this option without creating a whole new campaign, so I just gave up and accepted the paper check.
  
• I have four roommates, and they refuse to use PayPal.
  
• I obviously do not want them to just hold on to the money. It's not that I don't trust them. It's that I need to have control over my own money. I don't want to approach them every time I want to purchase something with my OWN gift money. That could also get messy. They spend impulsively. I do not.
  
• I cannot just cash the check somewhere and take the cash. I often need to purchase items online that I cannot get anywhere else.
  
• I have tried cashing checks at Wal-Mart before, and they refuse to do it, because my license is expired, and I cannot afford to renew it (I do not drive due to health issues). And even if I could afford it, coordinating that would be a massive headache.
  

I know there are re-loadable gift cards I can use, but I don't know much of anything about them, and I want to make an informed choice. If possible, I would like to avoid monthly fees, as I'd like to stretch this donation as far as I possibly can.

TL;DR: Got a sizeable donation via GoFundMe. I don't have/can't get a bank account. GFM is sending a paper check. I need to know how best to access the money.

Thank you!

E D I T / U P D A T E :

i have been working on this for about 4 days now. I gathered all the advice from all of you as well as from suggestions on Facebook. I tried Ally bank first, but they needed an updated driver's license in order to open an account, and I can't afford the $32 renewal fee right now. Also, my state now has tis required "secure license" thing where all licenses have to have a star emblem on them. Mine doesn't, so I would have to go to teh DMV in person (again, I don't drive), possibly retake the driving tests, and submit my SSN card, two pieces of mail, and my birth certificate. But I don't have my birth certificate, and I don't have the $33 total to get another one.

I just wanted to be done with it, so I tried another bank. I went with a Fidelity Cash Management account, and I was able to open an account without a driver's license. Now that that part is done, I can deposit the check from home. That requires a smart phone, though, which I don't have, so hopefully my roommate will let me borrow hers. Once I get the check, I can use the money to get a state ID.

Crisis averted. Thank you all for the help.