State Farm sponsored assist patrols in 18 states help keep the nation’s highest-trafficked roadways safe and clear. They reduce congestion, help stranded motorists, and provide traffic control and safety at incident scenes.

Safety patrols are operated by state departments of transportation and toll road authorities. They are known by a variety of names in 40 states. Their free services include changing flat tires, providing a jump-start or small amount of gasoline, and minor safety repairs.

“The safety patrols embody our ‘good neighbor’ philosophy and underscore our commitment to auto safety,” said Ed Gold, advertising director. “They help people recover from the unexpected, which is the heart of the State Farm mission.”

State Farm sponsorship helps increase coverage areas and raises awareness about the patrols. This helps the motoring public feel more secure when traveling the nation’s interstate system. Sponsored highway signs mark coverage areas. The bright red State Farm reflective markings also improve patrol vehicle visibility.

State Farm sponsors the safety patrols in Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

State Farm has been committed to roadway safety since its founding in 1922. The company seeks to increase the safety of all drivers and passengers from infancy to the driver’s seat.

*Safety Service Patrol Priorities and Best Practices: USDOT Federal Highway Federal Highway Administration, April 2017

In 2017, State Farm paid more than $130 million for nearly 2,700 cooking/grease fire homeowners* claims across the U.S.

*Note: excludes renters and condo unit claims.

Because many families and friends gather in the kitchen during the holidays, it is important to follow some cooking safety tips to keep your kitchen free of fire risks and hazards.

Here are some easy cooking safety reminders from NFPA and a Recipe4Safety card you can download for your own kitchen.

What you should know about home cooking safety

• Be on alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, don’t use the stove or stovetop.
• Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, boiling, or broiling food.
• If you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly, remain in the kitchen while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
• Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — away from your stovetop.

If you have a cooking fire

• Just get out! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire.
• Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number after you leave.
• If you try to fight the fire, be sure others are getting out and you have a clear way out.
• Keep a lid nearby when you’re cooking to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turn off the stovetop. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.
• For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.

 Safety considerations for cooking with oil

• Always stay in the kitchen when frying on the stovetop.
• Keep an eye on what you fry. If you see wisps of smoke or the oil smells, immediately turn off the burner and/or carefully remove the pan from the burner. Smoke is a danger sign that the oil is too hot.
• Heat the oil slowly to the temperature you need for frying or sautéing.
• Add food gently to the pot or pan so the oil does not splatter.
• Always cook with a lid beside your pan. If you have a fire, slide the lid over the pan and turn off the burner. Do not remove the cover because the fire could start again. Let the pan cool for a long time. Never throw water on the fire.
• If the fire does not go out or you don’t feel comfortable sliding a lid over the pan, get everyone out of your home. Call the fire department from outside.

Mouse over the dots on the interactive image below to see the safety tips.

Additional Resources:

• Cooking Fire Safety Video
• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Resources-Cooking Fires
• Turkey Fryer Safety

“Christmas. Christmas is my favorite holiday,” said Conely. “It’s filled with hope.”

Conely, a social service daycare provider, knows what Christmas and the winter holiday season, means through the eyes of a child. By day she looks after children ranging in age from babies to Pre-K. By night, she raises three kids of her own.

“It keeps me busy,” smiled Conely rocking a baby in her arms, coaxing it to sleep. “I’ve worked in daycare since 2008. I love children. Their imagination, their innocence, their humor…and just like Christmas trees, they really light up this time of year.”

But Conely knows, the holidays aren’t always a happy time for children and families.

Tight budgets, hectic work schedules and bills to pay can make the season of giving anything but jolly.

“I found myself in a tough spot last year,” she explained. “I couldn’t afford to buy my children anything extra. I was working so hard, but could not get ahead financially to buy gifts.”

But hope found Conely during the holidays. It came in the form of an evergreen, from the hands of strangers she’d never met.

“It’s called the Giving Tree,” Conely smiled. “It brought light into my family’s life.”

The Giving Tree is a State Farm holiday tradition. The program sprouted in the fall of 1992 – as a means to fulfill the gift wishes of families in need. Since its inception, the spirit of giving has blossomed and grown.

Each November, evergreen trees adorned with paper ornaments pop up at State Farm facilities. The ornaments contain wish lists from children, families or senior citizens who might otherwise receive no gifts during the holidays. State Farm employees pluck an ornament or two from the trees and go shopping.

Some ornaments contain practical requests like soap, shampoo and socks. Others ask for warmth and comfort – in the form of mittens, hats, blankets and stuffed animals. Either way, employees make sure the items they purchase are suited for the special families they’ve never met.

“Last year, my youngest son, JaKaleib received a teddy bear,” said Conely.    “But it wasn’t an ordinary bear. This one sang the ABC’s. JaKaleib loved it. He also received a play table and chair.”

In 2016, State Farm employees granted nearly 1,700 gift wishes for Bloomington, Illinois families. Many also volunteered to pack and prepare the presents for delivery.

“It’s like having the magic of Santa and the North Pole here in town,” said Conely. “This kindness has meant so much to me and my children. After experiencing the good will of others, now my 13 and 10-year-old are inspired to give back. I tell them, ‘You have the power to make a difference. We all do.’”

This year marks the 25^th anniversary of the Giving Tree. A program that started from an evergreen tree, paper ornaments and a choice: to listen and help. But Conely says it’s not about the packages one receives, nor who the gift giver is that matters…

“The beauty is knowing there are people out there who love and care about others – no matter who they are, or where they come from. That kind of gift lasts long after the holidays are over.”

To help your community this holiday season, check out NeighborhoodofGood.com^®. 

On top of it all, Jeni manages to volunteer weekly at a local food bank. “I love being here,” she smiled. “It gives me purpose.”

From its sky-high shelves stocked with breads, grains and beans, to coolers of milk, cheese and juice, some might say this place, called Midwest Food Bank looks like a mega supermarket.

But the food here is donated. There are no cashiers and checkout aisles. Instead, you’ll find volunteers. Lots of them.

Each week they give their time and talent to help people in need. They sort and distribute donations. They laugh and form friendships.

“I love organizing the shipments of food we receive,” Jeni smiled. “Semi-trucks deliver the items and each box is a mystery. Opening them is like unwrapping a gift!”

While these boxes don’t come in pretty paper or fancy bows, it’s the items inside that make eyes light up and lift spirits.

“This food does more than prevent hunger. It lets people know they’ll be okay,” said Jeni. “It lets them know others care and are there to help.”

Sometimes the boxes contain rice, or grapes, or lettuce. Sometimes they’re filled with medicine or shoes. And once in while…they contain something a little sweeter.

“Once, we received bags of mini-marshmallows…like the kind you find in kids’ cereal,” Jeni explained. “And while we can’t just give mini-marshmallows to those in need, we can combine them with other items – like veggies, fruit, and yogurt for more balanced meals. We’re grateful for what we get.”

Bill Curtis, a longtime Midwest Food Bank volunteer agrees. “It amazes me how many hungry people are out there. When you work here…you know you’re making a difference. We even started a food bank in Kenya to help communities near and far.”

But beyond the food and fellowship found within these walls, Jeni says you’ll find something else too.

HOPE.

Most feel it the moment they walk through the doors.

“You see hope in the faces of children and families who come here for assistance,” Jeni explained. “You see it radiate from our volunteers – in their energy and enthusiasm.”

Jeni herself understands the impact of hope and a helping hand. Six years ago she fell on hard times, in need of both food and shelter for her family.

With the assistance of not-for-profit organizations and charities (many of which receive supplies from Midwest Food Bank), Jeni managed to rebuild her life. She regained independence and started a new chapter for herself and her sons.

“Those were incredibly tough times,” she said softly. “But we didn’t give up. We survived because help was there, and I am so grateful.”

Today, Jeni continues to pay it forward at Midwest Food Bank because she knows, through help and hope…comes healing. “Now that my boys are old enough, I bring them to volunteer and they love it,” she smiled. “It’s our turn to give back.”

And, through the support of businesses like State Farm – Midwest Food Bank will continue to nourish neighbors near and far.

STORY UPDATE: Effective January 2018, Jeni is now the Operations Manager at Midwest Food Bank. She says hope comes in many forms. Sometimes it's a smile. Or a box of mini-marshmallows. Or a new pair of shoes. But no matter the way in which it's received, care and love are the end result. 

"Creating good in this world...is priceless," said Jeni. 

To find volunteer opportunities in your community, visit NeighborhoodofGood.com®.

(This story was first published November 2016)

And that’s exactly what the South Salt Lake Police Athletic League (PAL) is striving to do: stop youth from moving the wrong way. In fact, area crime has been reduced by 65% between the hours of 3pm-7pm thanks to the PAL chapter.

Because of their progress, they were awarded the Directors Community Leadership Award by the FBI in 2015, a prestigious award which only four organizations receive annually in the nation.

South Salt Lake PALs

It all started in 1995 with a game of softball between neighborhood kids and the police. In 1998, Jerry Silva took over the South Salt Lake PAL program. Jerry, the current PAL director and a local police officer, started playing street hockey with kids in an underprivileged neighborhood.

Soon, local fire fighters got involved and it grew fast; officers were coaching flag football and paying for kids to play in athletic tournaments around the US.

Today, the PAL program has evolved into a nationally recognized after-school mentoring and boxing program. It is modeled after the original PAL chapter in New York City, were Muhammad Ali got his start.

“Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr, aka Muhammad Ali, was born in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Of all things, a red-and-white Schwinn bike steered Cassius to his future as a heavyweight champion boxer; the greatest," Jerry recalled. "When his beloved bicycle was stolen, the tearful 12-year-old Clay reported the theft to Louisville police officer Joe Martin (1916-1996)."

"Preteen Clay vowed to pummel the culprit. Martin, who was also a boxing trainer at the local PAL Boxing Gym, suggested the upset youngster first learn how to box, and he took Clay under his wing,” continued Jerry. “We here at the South Salt Lake PAL tell this story often because it shows these kids that working hard and using boxing as an avenue to better your self is the key.”

Boxing and mentoring program

The program, supported by State Farm, gravitated toward boxing instead of soccer and other sports because it’s less mainstream. Boxing is also a way for young kids to let out their aggressions in a safe environment.

“We are not teaching kids how to fight, we are teaching them when boxing is appropriate and the proper ways to box. But most importantly we are teaching our youth to have confidence,” shared Jerry.

Before any boxing or other recreational activities take place, all the students, approximately 70, must finish their homework. Members from the community volunteer to be a tutor like State Farm Agent Jonathan Hertel.

Jerry and Jonathan

“I came from a broken home, and easily could have gone down the wrong path. But because of mentors like Jerry in my life I am blessed to be where I am today,” reflected Jonathan. “That’s why I got involved, because it hit home for me. What they do for these kids is amazing. Instead of these kids being involved in juvenile crime and violence they create a way for them to be involved in athletic, recreational and especially educational opportunities.”

Pay it forward

“We teach our kids to pay it forward—that’s our philosophy,” Jerry explained.

Each year around Thanksgiving, the PAL youth identify several families in their neighborhood who could use a good Thanksgiving meal. PAL works with the local food bank and other organizations to deliver a home cooked meal to those families. More than 50 families receive a Thanksgiving meal prepared by the local culinary school in Salt Lake City.

For years, Josh Thompson, Jeremy Wetting and T.J. Duckett were working independently every Thanksgiving to provide families with a holiday meal. Thompson and Weitting were providing several Thanksgiving meals to families in Southwest Michigan. Duckett, a former professional football star, was giving out turkeys in Lansing through his non-profit, New World Flood.

They became aware of each other’s efforts and they decided to join forces four years ago to create the Hands Up Project. Since starting with only a handful of families each, and a goal to double their efforts each year after, their effort has grown exponentially. Now they make an even bigger impact on Michigan families.

“Being able to provide that one meal of the year where families spend time together and connect is what it’s all about for me,” said Jeremy, a State Farm Agent in Otsego, MI. “It’s about contributing to your community when you have the ability to do it.”

To help cover the costs of assembling and donating over 1,000 turkey dinners, the group organizes fundraisers. Duckett serves as a celebrity bartender or barista, signing autographs in exchange for tips. Proceeds are used to purchase supplies for the giveaway. Duckett was a 1998 graduate of Loy Norrix High School. He was a star running back at Michigan State University before being drafted in the first round to play football professionally. He then went on to play in in Atlanta, Washington DC, Detroit and Seattle.

Duckett started a non-profit, New World Flood, to “flood the world with service." New World Flood spread the philosophy that a single raindrop is the beginning of a flood. The Hands Up Project believes that people want a “hand up, not a hand out.” Those constructive beliefs have resulted in a synergy, making a profound impact in southwest Michigan each Thanksgiving.

“People are in need all over. We have an opportunity to take care of a few of them, if just for one day,” says Duckett, who grew up in Kalamazoo and now lives in Lansing. “It’s important to give back. I realized the secret is to give and serve and put as much energy into this mission as I did into football.”