Fifth-Grader Starts 'Race to 100,000 Meals' Drive for People in Need

A fifth-grader from Fort Worth has launched the "Race to 100,000 Meals" project to collect as many food packs for people in need by Thanksgiving day.

For Orion Jean, a 5th-grader in the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District, doing one good deed after another is nothing new. Over the summer, the Chisholm Ridge Elementary student won first place in the Think Kindness National Speech contest, Good News Network noted. In his speech, he urged people to extend kindness and compassion to others.

Spread big hugs through kindness

Orion underscored how important kindness is now more than ever. He likened kindness to spreading big hugs to those who need it and those who never thought they needed it. To him, no matter how small, an act of kindness can make a big difference to the one receiving it.

Orion received $500 for winning first-prize, and earlier this fall, he used the money to organize his Race to Kindness campaign. Through his first project, Race to 500 Toys drive, he collected more than 600 hundred toys that were then distributed to children at Children's Health Hospital in Dallas.

Race to 100,000 Meals

For his 10th birthday, Orion moved on to another humanitarian project - the Race to 100,000 Meals food drive - wherein he collects snack bags to be donated to people in need. In partnership with Tango Tab, he aims to collect 100,000 meals by Thanksgiving. Speaking to NBC 5, he said he wants people in need to know that they are loved.

In his Instagram post, he wrote, "In celebration of my 10th birthday, I would like to announce my partnership with @tangotab 's - "Feed the City" to "Race to 100,000 Meals!!!"

"This nationwide effort will officially start 10/10/20 and run through 11/25/20. We can't cross this finish line of 100,000 meals without you. With your help, anything is possible!"

He said that COVID-19 had impacted many people, and many have lost their jobs, putting them out on the streets. And he knows he can help these people who lack the resources and "don't have these privileges."

His mother, Kherri, said that while she and her husband try to model kindness for Orion, their son takes kindness to another level. Orion, she said, is the kind of kid who wants to do it bigger and impact more people. They hope that their projects inspire others to do the same. She said kindness is contagious in a good way.

Those making donations to the Race to 100,000 Meals food drive are requested to bring packed meals that contain one bottle of water, two tangerines or one apple in a ziplock, one apple sauce cup or tuna pouch, one granola bar, with a positive message written on the brown paper bag.

So far, his food drive collected more than 4,000 meal donations. Race to Kindness also welcomes cash donations via PayPal and Cash App to help with the purchase of food for the Race to 100,000 Meals.

Find out more about where and when you can drop off your donation here.