By Michelle Key
Publisher
Voting continues until 11:59:59 EST on Aug. 23 for the State Farm Neighborhood Assist grants. The top- 40 causes at that time will each be given $25,000 as part of the grant program.
Each person gets 10 votes a day and can use them all on one cause, or spread them out in any way among multiple causes.
To vote, one needs to be a U.S. resident 18 years or older, have a valid email address and use one of the supported web browsers listed on the website.
For more information on the grants or to register to vote, visit www.neighborhoodassist.com.
At press time, Opelika’s BigHouse Foundation was in 11th place. The community is encouraged to help support Blake and Micah Melnick’s organization by continuing to vote daily. A statement from their entry reads:
“The $25,000 would be used to purchase items for care packages for all the children who will enter foster care in our community within the next year. Approximately 125 children enter foster care in our area each year, so for each child, $200 could be used to purchase a duffel bag, new socks, new underwear, diapers and wipes, clothing, fun items such as a toy, as well as other supplies that children may need. Additionally, we would work with a grocery store to deliver a load of groceries to the foster family on the first or second night of a new placement. Having a $25,000 grant to spend on supplies would address a huge need for new foster care placements. This would also alleviate a lot of stress on foster parents and social workers. We hope that this will inspire people to continue to donate for this cause so that it will continue in our community for many years to come.”