RISD gearing up for million meals, million paper chain links representing kind acts

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April 24, 2010

By JIM HARDIN Herald-Banner The Zope Gazette Sat Apr 24, 2010, 06:25 PM CDT

ROCKWALL COUNTY — Dr. Gene Burton, who already is heading a team of volunteers who will package a million meals on May 6, has added a new challenge.

During a meeting Tuesday morning to provide information about the million meals effort, the Rockwall Independent School District superintendent said he would like to see one paper chain link for each meal prepared.

The paper chain link will be a focal point at the third annual Rachel’s Rally scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, May 6, at Wilkerson-Sanders Memorial Stadium.

Volunteer Greg Beauchamp told those attending the Tuesday morning meeting at the school administration building that a million-link paper chain will be about 30 miles long. The paper chain link, he said, would stretch from Rockwall to Grand Prairie.

Beauchamp said Tuesday morning that commitments were needed for only 100,000 more links.

The Rockwall Independent School District is partnering with Kids Against Hunger and Rachel’s Challenge to package one million meals that will be donated to the food shelves of Dallas area food banks and the people of Haiti. Both school district multipurpose facilities will be turned into packaging areas where students, staff, parents and community members will come together to help feed the hungry.

The third annual communitywide Rachel’s Rally will be a celebration of kindness and compassion.

The district currently is seeking hundreds of volunteers to help complete this project. Anyone who will be able to volunteer to help package meals should log on to the Rockwall ISD Web site at www.rockwallisd.com and click on the “Million Meals Volunteer Form” located on the home page. There are three time slots available — 9-11 a.m., 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 1-3 p.m. Volunteers are welcome to work multiple time slots.

The cost for each meal is 23 cents, and the district has received a donation that will cover half of the total cost. Currently, the district is lining up underwriters to fund the remaining meals.

Sponsorships are available at multiple levels and include national and local media coverage, recognition in the Rachel’s Rally program and public service announcements at the rally. All donations are tax deductible. Those interested in helping fund the meals, should contact Sheri Fowler, RISD’s executive director of communications, at 972-771-0605.

"Finally, we hope you will mark your calendar and make plans to join us for Rachel’s Rally, the culminating event in a day that will put the district theme of 'Others Before Self' into practice,” Fowler said. "The annual Rachel’s Rally event represents Rockwall ISD’s commitment to the Rachel’s Challenge organization in an effort to extend the legacy of Rachel Scott.

She was the first student killed in the Columbine School shooting in 1999, but her kindness and compassion towards others still impacts the lives of students and adults today through school assembly programs and student organizations.

RISD’s second partner for this year’s event, Kids Against Hunger, is an international organization whose mission is to reduce the number of undernourished children in the USA and to feed starving children throughout the world. Through partnerships with humanitarian organizations worldwide, Kids Against Hunger has distributed food in more than 60 countries and across the United States."

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