A Staten Island deli owner is turning good grades into cash and free snacks, rewarding local kids for strong report cards and academic progress.
Zack’s Finest Deli & Grocery co-owner and manager Wail Alselwi, widely known by his nickname “Island Ock,” said his Grades for Grabs initiative evolved from a simple bet with one local student.
“It started with one report card, one kid and one milkshake. Just like that. I had a bet with a kid named Zameir Davis that if he had good grades, he can get to grab whatever he wanted,” Alselwi said Saturday on “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
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“Now, it’s a big movement. Now, thousands of kids come into Zack’s Finest Deli to show me their report card.”
Students with high marks can walk out with up to $100 in cash, along with snacks and school supplies.
Over the past three years, the program has gained attention on social media, with some videos drawing millions of views.
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Clips posted online highlight young people’s academic accomplishments and show students and their parents talking about what the program means to them. Supporters across the country have also contributed money through a GoFundMe to help keep the program going.
“Man, I want to take the program [to] the next level. Like, I [want to] take it into every city in [the] United States, not just to keep it here in New York,” Alselwi said.
“Their parents want them to participate in this program. They believe in it. [They’re] bringing them from different states. Even Canada.”
The GoFundMe for the initiative has raised more than $575,000 toward its $650,000 goal.
Alselwi said he started the program during a dark time in his life and credited his brother with motivating him.
“Because at a time in my life, I was really down. And my brother motivated me to get back up,” Alselwi said.
