ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – Martin Luther King Junior has impacted millions of Americans’ lives, leaving a ripple effect throughout history.
He once asked, “Why should there be hunger in any land, in any city, at any table, when man has the resources and the scientific know-how to provide all mankind with the basic necessities of life?”
Unfortunately hunger still exists around the world, but a Raleigh, North Carolina based non-profit organization has taken those words to heart. For more than two decades, Rise Against Hunger has used that quote as inspiration to do good.
It, along with more than 100 volunteers, spent Monday morning at North Cross School fighting food insecurity.
“Today, we are packaging a little over 20,000 meals,” Sheila Russ, the partnership manager for Rise Against Hunger’s Richmond team, said. “Which will essentially feed 93 school children their school lunches for an entire school year.”
Ray Buchanan, the organization’s founder, said Doctor King was all about service.
He was happy to see so many people come out and want to serve others.
“I told them earlier; they’re helping pack meals to feed hungry children, which is awesome, but the real thing they’re doing is helping change the world,” he said. “As we feed and educate the youth, they’ll be the leaders of tomorrow.”
Several leaders of Virginia Tech’s Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity incorporated hosted a march across campus to honor Doctor King.
They were happy to see so many people come and show their support.
“I think it really shows you that people are dedicated to progress, especially on a cold day like this,” Ali Porchia, the vice president of Alpha Phi Alpha Inc.’s Theta Iota chapter, said. “I think that with a lot of events getting canceled, people saw it was important to show face, and show that we care, and that we are actively trying to make everyone’s lives better.”
This march kicked off a week’s worth of events at Virginia Tech, as part of its Martin Luther King Jr. celebration.