--- title: How a Young Changemaker Expands Food Assistance Access description: 2026 Allstate Foundation Young Changemaker Jack Griffin shares how FoodFinder connects families to nearby food pantries and support. canonical: https://time.com/branded-content/the-allstate-foundation/meet-the-young-changemaker-expanding-access-to-food-assistance-through-technology/ article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-05-28T19:42:05.148Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-28T19:39:05.011Z og:title: How a Young Changemaker Expands Food Assistance Access og:description: 2026 Allstate Foundation Young Changemaker Jack Griffin shares how FoodFinder connects families to nearby food pantries and support. og:url: https://time.com/branded-content/the-allstate-foundation/meet-the-young-changemaker-expanding-access-to-food-assistance-through-technology/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How a Young Changemaker Expands Food Assistance Access twitter:description: 2026 Allstate Foundation Young Changemaker Jack Griffin shares how FoodFinder connects families to nearby food pantries and support. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Meet the Young Changemaker Expanding Access to Food Assistance Through Technology ## Video: Changemaker Profile: Jack Griffin [Watch (HLS stream): Changemaker Profile: Jack Griffin](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/vI84xUHr.m3u8) (2:55)  _Published 2026-05-20. Changemaker Profile: Jack Griffin_ When Jack Griffin was in high school, he saw a news story that showed how difficult life really was for kids his age who did not know where their next meal was coming from. “I didn’t see people based on whether they were on free or reduced lunch,” Griffin said. “All I saw walking down the halls of my high school were my friends and classmates and fellow students.” That perspective would eventually shape the creation of FoodFinder, the platform Griffin founded to help people locate nearby food pantries and assistance programs with accurate, real-time information. What began as a student-led idea has since grown into a national resource connecting families with support in their communities. Now, Griffin has been recognized by The Allstate Foundation as the 2026 recipient of its Young Changemaker Award; a recognition celebrating young people leading service in their community. The mission behind FoodFinder has always felt deeply personal to Griffin. “It just didn’t make sense to me that tens of millions of Americans still have a hard time just buying groceries and putting food on the table for their children,” he said.  Jack Griffin speaks at a reception for The Allstate Foundation College Service Grants at SXSW EDU 2026. (Chicago Corporate Photo and Video/Courtesy of The Allstate Foundation) #### **Building a practical solution** FoodFinder was designed with one clear purpose: Make it easier for people to find help when they need it. The platform allows users to search for food assistance resources in their area and access up-to-date information about locations, hours and availability. “FoodFinder really gives people the accurate and actionable information they need to know exactly when, where and how to get help from food pantries in their area,” Griffin said. The simplicity of the platform is part of what has made it so effective. Community partners say FoodFinder has helped increase visibility for local food pantries while reducing barriers for families searching for support. By centralizing information that can often be difficult to navigate, Griffin’s work has strengthened connections between organizations and the people they serve. To Alex Quian, The Allstate Foundation’s Youth Empowerment Program Officer, Griffin represents the spirit of youth-led service at the heart of the Young Changemakers initiative. “A young changemaker is any person who is motivated to serve and improve their communities,” Quian said. “It really is that simple.” Quian believes Griffin’s impact stems from his ability to turn empathy into action. “In Jack Griffin, we see someone who noticed an issue in his community and became motivated to do something about it,” he said. “We’re so proud of the work that Jack did to create a really innovative solution for helping families connect with food resources in their communities across the country.”  Zoë Jenkins, Jack Griffin, Kennedy Little, and Alex Quian at The Allstate Foundation Youth Empowerment Booth during SXSW EDU 2026. (Chicago Corporate Photo and Video/Courtesy of The Allstate Foundation) #### **Community support in action** Throughout Griffin’s journey, teachers and mentors have played an important role in supporting his vision. Many saw early signs of the leadership qualities that now define his work. Teri Schnieder, Griffin’s high school environmental sciences teacher saw him as a leader grounded in “authentic intelligence, integrity, innovation and inspiration.” Schneider says she always saw something special in Griffin, so much so that she became a donor. “I wanted to see this project grow and develop,” she said, “what better way to invest in my student who is trying to feed the world?” That encouragement helped FoodFinder grow from an ambitious idea into a scalable platform with national reach. But Griffin is quick to emphasize that lasting change only happens through collaboration. That’s one reason his partnership with The Allstate Foundation has been especially meaningful to him. “The Allstate Foundation is one of those really rare partnerships where we are walking hand-in-hand, step by step towards the same better future.” That shared commitment to service is central to The Allstate Foundation’s work empowering young people to serve and improve communities. Quian hopes Griffin’s story encourages other young people to recognize the impact they can make in their own communities. “I always like to say that one of the best parts of this job is the fact that I get to work with the most ambitious and inspiring young people in the entire country,” Quian said. “Because we know that great things happen when young people serve.”  Jack Griffin joins Trevon Bosley and Jahnavi Rao on a panel of youth changemakers at The Allstate Foundation National Youth Service Summit in 2024. (Chicago Corporate Photo and Video/Courtesy of The Allstate Foundation) For Griffin, the work is far from finished. He sees FoodFinder as part of a broader movement of people and organizations working toward a future where access to support is easier and more connected. “There is no struggle in my community that is isolated from all the other struggles,” Griffin said. “But it gives me that much more hope, that much more confidence, seeing the amazing work being done by people of my generation and other generations.” And while the platform continues to grow, Griffin remains focused on the same goal that inspired him as a student years ago: helping to ensure families have dignified access to the support they need during difficult moments. “If we arrive at that future where every family in America can always put food on the table, even in hard times,” he said, “I know I’ve done my job.”  [Learn More](https://www.allstatecorporation.com/the-allstate-foundation/youth-empowerment.aspx) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/the-allstate-foundation/meet-the-young-changemaker-expanding-access-to-food-assistance-through-technology/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/the-allstate-foundation/meet-the-young-changemaker-expanding-access-to-food-assistance-through-technology/"},"headline":"Meet the Young Changemaker Expanding Access to Food Assistance Through Technology","datePublished":"2026-05-28T19:42:05.148Z","dateModified":"2026-05-28T19:39:05.011Z","description":"2026 Allstate Foundation Young Changemaker Jack Griffin shares how FoodFinder connects families to nearby food pantries and support.","url":"https://time.com/branded-content/the-allstate-foundation/meet-the-young-changemaker-expanding-access-to-food-assistance-through-technology/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/the-allstate-foundation/meet-the-young-changemaker-expanding-access-to-food-assistance-through-technology/","name":"Meet the Young Changemaker Expanding Access to Food Assistance Through Technology"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Changemaker Profile: Jack Griffin","description":"Changemaker Profile: Jack Griffin","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/vI84xUHr/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2026-05-20T22:39:48.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/vI84xUHr.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/branded-content/the-allstate-foundation/meet-the-young-changemaker-expanding-access-to-food-assistance-through-technology/","duration":"PT2M55S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/branded-content/the-allstate-foundation/meet-the-young-changemaker-expanding-access-to-food-assistance-through-technology/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```