This philosophy aligns with a broader educational principle: students benefit when adults recognize the learning process rather than treating achievement as a fixed personal characteristic.
A student who has difficulty with one subject is not necessarily incapable of mastering it.
With appropriate instruction, practice, feedback, and support, progress may become possible.
Importantly, improvement does not always happen at the same speed for every child.
For one student, progress could mean moving from a B to an A. For another, simply passing a subject after months of struggling may represent an equally meaningful achievement.
By acknowledging these different starting points, the initiative helps communicate that academic success is not reserved for a select group of naturally gifted students.
Effort and determination deserve attention, too.
The Fourth Grader Who Traveled From Pennsylvania
As videos of Grades for Grabs circulated online, the initiative began attracting families from outside Staten Island.
One particularly memorable example involved a fourth-grade student named Maleek, who traveled with his family from Pennsylvania to visit Alselwi's deli.
The boy arrived with a report card containing outstanding marks, including scores in the 90s and several perfect 100s.
Alselwi reacted enthusiastically while reviewing the student's achievements, eventually presenting him with a $100 bill and encouraging him to choose items from the store.
For a young student, the experience could easily have become an opportunity to collect as much candy and as many treats as possible.
Instead, Maleek made a surprising choice.
He picked up household groceries, including bread, eggs, and rice.
The moment was reported by PEOPLE in May 2025 and illustrated how the program's effects could extend beyond academic motivation.
A child who had worked hard in school was being rewarded, but his selections also reflected an awareness of his family's everyday needs.
The story resonated because it challenged expectations.
An adult offered a child an opportunity to enjoy a prize, and the child responded by choosing practical items.
It suggested that children can understand responsibility and generosity in ways that adults sometimes underestimate.
It also showed why a neighborhood grocery store is a distinctive setting for this kind of educational initiative.
A reward does not necessarily have to be a toy, an electronic device, or a luxury purchase.
Sometimes it can be something useful that helps a family.
And when a child is allowed to make that choice, the reward can become an opportunity to practice independence and consider the needs of others.
From Personal Giving to a Community-Funded Mission
As more students began visiting the deli, the financial demands of the initiative increased.
Giving away snacks to a handful of children might be manageable for a small-business owner.
Rewarding growing numbers of students with groceries, cash, and other items is considerably more difficult.
At first, Alselwi personally funded the rewards.
In his fundraising description, he explained that he created Grades for Grabs to encourage children in his neighborhood and wanted to support as many students as possible.
He also described observing students whose academic averages had improved substantially, although those figures represent his own reported observations rather than the results of an independently controlled study.
To help sustain the project, a GoFundMe campaign was launched on March 23, 2025.
The purpose was to allow supporters to contribute financially so that the rewards could continue without depending entirely on one person's resources.
The response was extraordinary.
ABC News reported that the fundraiser had grown from approximately $70,000 in the summer of 2025 to more than $500,000 by August 2026.
By the time of the latest check for this article, the campaign displayed $628,932 raised toward a $650,000 goal, with approximately 13,400 donations.
Those numbers illustrate the scale of the public response.
Thousands of individuals chose to contribute to a project operated through a neighborhood deli.
They were not purchasing shares in a business or expecting a financial return.
They were supporting an idea they believed could help young people.
A small donation might help fund a student's snack. A larger contribution could support cash rewards or supplies for multiple children.
When combined, those individual contributions created resources far beyond what Alselwi might have been able to provide alone.
The fundraising figure represents donations received, not an independently verified total of money already distributed to students. Nevertheless, the campaign's growth demonstrates a substantial level of public support.
It is an example of how a local initiative can attract a wider community of people who want to participate in something positive.
When Social Media Becomes a Force for Encouragement
Social media has played an essential role in bringing Grades for Grabs to a wider audience.
Alselwi, known as Island Ock on TikTok, has shared videos documenting students visiting the deli, presenting their report cards, and receiving rewards.
Rather than relying on elaborate advertising campaigns, the initiative has spread through authentic-looking interactions centered on academic achievement and encouragement.
The formula is simple but emotionally powerful.
A student enters the store. Alselwi looks at the grades. He celebrates the achievement, offers a reward, and encourages the child to keep improving.
Viewers get to witness a moment of recognition that might otherwise have remained private.
In an online environment often dominated by arguments, controversy, and negative headlines, these videos offer something different.
They show people encouraging one another.
They also invite audiences to participate in the success of children they have never personally met.
According to ABC News, Alselwi had more than one million TikTok followers by August 2026, and several of his videos had accumulated millions of views.
The publicity helped transform what began as a Staten Island neighborhood initiative into a nationally recognized story.