Jarrett Allen
Philanthropy
The Children of Promise
Children of Promise, NYC reimagines a just society that values the purpose of every child impacted by mass incarceration and removes barriers to create opportunities for children to thrive and achieve their human potential.
City Harvest helped start the food rescue movement in 1982 when a group of New Yorkers saw that New York City had an abundance of excess food even while a large number of its residents struggled to feed themselves and their families. We recognized the practical purpose that this surplus food could serve if directed to New Yorkers who needed it, filling the plates of the working mom who had trouble making ends meet at month’s end, the senior in the apartment upstairs living on a fixed income, or the family around the corner coping with a large and unexpected medical bill.
Our mission is to give ALL youth equal access to opportunity. 4-H provides kids with community, mentors, and learning opportunities to develop the skills they need to create positive change in their lives and communities.
Rather than serving a Thanksgiving meal or handing out free food items, Allen decided on a different approach to giving back this November. He took twenty-five eighth graders to a local grocery store, and gave them each $70 to plan Thanksgiving dinner. Allen also equipped them with calculators to help with their math and budgeting during the shopping trip.