Alselwi’s approach attempts to acknowledge both.
According to the fundraiser, one of the program’s explicit purposes is rewarding students who improve their grades.
That creates a broader definition of achievement.
There is room for the honor-roll student.
There is also room for the child who finally passes a difficult class.
That message may be particularly important for students who already feel they are behind.
Instead of hearing, “You are not good enough yet,” they hear, “I saw how much better you did.”
Recognition can be simple, but it can change how children view themselves.
A Neighborhood Idea With a Wider Message
Grades for Grabs is still rooted in one Staten Island deli, but its success raises a broader question about how communities support children.
Education is normally thought of as the responsibility of schools, teachers and parents.
Alselwi’s project adds another group to that list: neighbors.
A deli manager cannot replace a teacher.
A cashier cannot replace a parent.
A bag of snacks cannot substitute for a strong school system.
But a community member can notice.
He can ask how school is going.
He can remember the grade a child received last semester.
He can congratulate that child when the number rises.
Those interactions may seem small to adults. To a young person, they can communicate that people outside their immediate family are paying attention to their future.
By 2026, Alselwi was speaking publicly about expanding the idea beyond his own neighborhood. Fox News reported in September that the Grades for Grabs initiative had drawn families from across the country and that Alselwi hoped to expand the concept nationally.
Whether the program ultimately becomes a national model remains to be seen.
Its existing impact, however, is already remarkable.
More Than $600,000 Worth of Encouragement
At first glance, this is a story about a man giving children free food.
Then it becomes a story about cash rewards.
Then a viral social-media story.
Then a crowdfunding story.
But underneath all of those layers is something much simpler.
A child walked into a neighborhood store.
An adult noticed that he wanted to do better in school.
Instead of simply saying “good luck,” the adult made him a promise.