The Speed of Inspiration

Sometimes inspiration travels fast. As in 150-mph fast. Pull up a bucket seat and a roll cage and I'll explain.

Last winter, Doug Brown, the principal of W.T. Chipman Middle School in Dover, Del., was watching the Daytona 500 NASCAR race when he noticed that driver Jeff Gordon's car was emblazoned with a logo for AARP's Drive to End Hunger campaign. 

Brown, a big fan of Gordon's, returned to work the following week and prodded W.T. Chipman students to learn more about Drive to End Hunger. The students were already seeking a charitable mission to pursue because they had signed on to Rachel's Challenge, a widespread project encouraging students to do good in their communities in honor of Rachel Scott, the first victim of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in Colorado.

It didn't take the Chipman kids long to learn that Drive to End Hunger focused on fighting hunger among seniors in America. They then approached AARP and proposed a student-led food drive. AARP agreed to partner with the group, which has since collected thousands of items - including 25,000 cans of food - for donation to seniors. The campaign has even expanded beyond food to include other basic necessities, like toilet paper and pet food. And the pluck of the students has carried into the broader community: Bolstering the donations was a tractor trailer load of goods that a local Food Lion delivered directly to the school.

The Food Bank of Delaware is managing the donations.

All of which shows yet again the positive impact that a small, committed group of people can have on our world. So what are you waiting for? Start a local food drive in your community, or visit Create the Good for other volunteer opportunities near you!