State Farm Neighborhood Assist is Back to Help Communities Across the U.S. Turn Caring Into Doing

BLOOMINGTON, Ill., June 7 -- State Farm Companies, an auto, home and individual life insurance provider, issued the following news release:

Neighbors across the country have an exciting opportunity to help change their communities for the better through State Farm Neighborhood Assist(R) (http://www.neighborhoodassist.com/), which is back for its sixth year.

Forty causes will be awarded a $25,000 grant each to assist their communities. Residents of the United States can submit a cause at www.neighborhoodassist.com from June 7-June 21 or when 2,000 submissions are reached, whichever comes first. Ultimately, voters will decide which community improvement projects win big.

State Farm Neighborhood Assist asks individuals to identify causes that would help make their communities safer, stronger, and smarter.

The State Farm Review Committee will then narrow down the field, using a scoring rubric to identify the top 200 submissions.

The public will have a chance to vote up to 10 times a day, every day for 10 days from August 16-August 25 at www.neighborhoodassist.com for their favorite causes from the list of finalists.

The 40 causes that receive the most votes will each win a $25,000 grant. Winners will be announced on Good Neighbor Day, September 28.

Since the program began, State Farm has awarded $5 million to communities across North America, supporting a wide variety of causes, including:

* Fighting childhood hunger

* Helping homeless veterans

* Revitalizing parks

* Improving literacy

* Offering athletic programs for children with disabilities

"State Farm has a rich history of giving back to the communities where we live and work, helping make life go right," said Kellie Clapper, State Farm Assistant Vice President. "From identifying an important cause to rallying your community to vote for it, this program is all about neighbors helping neighbors."

Last year, 72,000 Americans cast 1.8 Million votes for their favorite causes, selecting winners from small towns and big cities. Be part of the movement and submit your cause to improve your community starting June 7.