CLEVELAND — The holiday season is all about giving and for the last nine years, for Jarrett Allen, that's meant helping families fill their plates. Allen hosted his ninth annual Meals + Math event at a Cleveland Giant Eagle on Thursday, helping local families stock their cupboards ahead of the holiday while teaching kids valuable life lessons.
As is the case each year, Allen supplied each of the 25 children involved in the event with a $200 gift card and a calculator. Sent off with a cart and a volunteer, the kids could buy whatever they liked, but as they shopped, they had to do the math to ensure they stayed within the budget.
"They have $200 to go spend. They're going to go around the grocery store with a shopping list and they're going to go out and pick everything, but if they go over the limit we're going to scold them a little bit," Allen said, jokingly. "It's important because we've all been in their shoes. We all know what it's like to maybe want an extra side on Thanksgiving or want a little extra something and these kids deserve it just as much as anybody else."
Allen joined the kids in their shopping outing, helping them pick out the right size turkeys or decide between their favorite side dishes. Some kids used the trip to get other essentials for their families, like milk and cereal. Many who got treats made sure to get enough for their parents and siblings.
No matter how the kids spent their shopping funds, they all put their minds to work, crunching numbers and honing their math skills.
But the ultimate goals Allen always sets out to achieve, which he succeeded with again this year, are simple.
"Two things, show them that people care...and honestly to have fun. There's a kid next to me that was like, 'This is the best day of my life,' and we haven't even started shopping or anything yet," Allen said, smiling.
The kids went home with their bags full of groceries, as well as gift bags full of other essentials like underwear from PSD, winter hats from American Tall and gifts from the NBA, the NBPA, Fanatics, Panini, I’m The Chef Too and Highlights Magazine.
