In a heartwarming twist of community love and motivation, a New York deli owner is going viral for rewarding students who bring home good grades with snacks and even cold hard cash.
Wail, the owner of Zack’s Finest Deli & Grocery, launched a program called Grades for Grabs, a grassroots initiative that started with a simple challenge to a local 12-year-old in 2023.
The original bet? Raise your grades, and you can pick out whatever you want from the store. The student delivered, and Wail kept his word. That moment sparked something bigger.
Now, students from across the city and even out of state are showing up with their report cards in hand, hoping to score treats, snacks, and sometimes even $100 bills.
Here’s how it works:
Any student who brings in their report card and shows an average above 80 percent gets rewarded. Whether it’s free snacks or a jaw-dropping hundred-dollar bill, Wail is making sure kids know their hard work matters.
“All kids are smart, they just need somebody to believe in them,” Wail shared in a viral video that’s been making the rounds on TikTok and YouTube.
In the video he revealed, “It’s my mission to keep going.”
To keep the program going, Wail funds the rewards through sales of merchandise in the store and a community-backed GoFundMe. And clearly, the love is spreading. One student even traveled all the way from Pennsylvania just to take part in the movement.
What started as a one-time bet is now a city-wide movement to uplift, encourage, and celebrate academic excellence especially in kids who just need someone to see their potential.
Wail’s story is a powerful reminder that sometimes, all a kid needs is someone in their corner cheering them on, believing in them, and showing up when it counts.
Through snacks, smiles, and surprise cash, he’s proving that a little encouragement can go a long way and sometimes even change a life.
