COMMON CENTS RECEIVES GRANT FROM STATE FARM YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD

From L-R: Julie De Rossi (State Farm), Teddy Gross, Jasper Turner Gutwillig, Micah Gibbens (Common Cents), Derek Korbly (State Farm).

Each year, State Farm Insurance Company gathers a diverse group of thirty students, ages 17-20, from across the United States and Canada to make up the State Farm Youth Advisory Board. Together these young people are charged with helping State Farm design and implement a $5 million-a-year signature service-learning initiative to address issues important to State Farm and communities across the United States and Canada. Their process of selecting organizations to make grants to is similar to the process Penny Harvest student leaders go through each spring when they participate in Philanthropy Roundtables.

“We are so excited that service-learning is being celebrated through this grant by students for students. Year after year, we have seen the profound academic and social benefits children have from the Penny Harvest experience,” said Teddy Gross, Executive Director of Common Cents.

This year, Common Cents was one of only two New York City based organizations to receive service-learning grants out of the hundreds of grant requests that were received by the Youth Advisory Board. The other organization which received funding is Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, a South Bronx-based organization. This marks the second year that Common Cents has received a grant from the YAB.

There to accept the award for Common Cents were Teddy Gross; Jasper Turner Gutwillig, a high school student who is participating in Common Cents’ Global Philanthropy Internship program and Micah Gibbens a New York City Civic Corps Vista/ Common Cents Fellow.

This grant from State Farm will be used to fund the expansion of the Full Pantry Project, a new initiative that matches Penny Harvest schools with their local food pantry. The Full Pantry Project began in the winter of 2009 as a way for schools to respond to the economic downturn and support the thousands of New Yorkers who struggle to feed themselves and their families. Through the Full Pantry Project, Penny Harvesters have made over 300 grants to 200 food pantries across New York City. New curriculum that ties issues of food security and nutrition to classroom lessons will be provided to help participating students uncover the root causes of hunger and deepen their commitment to addressing this issue.

Reflecting on hunger and homelessness in new York, Jasper, who has been involved with the Penny Harvest since he was in 4th grade said, “When I was a 4th grader, our roundtable discussed short and long-term solutions for homelessness. I realized we could do something to help and since then I’ve been hooked.”

Click here to read more about the Full Pantry Project.

Click here to learn more about the State Farm Youth Advisory Board.