rock CAN roll, Inc.,™is an organization where everyone brings his or her piece into the mix and we create a mosaic of kindness. It is a 100% volunteer, non-profit 501C-3, hunger relief organization and think tank. Donations are tax-deductible!
Hunger is a horrible reality.
Can you tell the difference between someone who is hungry and someone who is not?
Hunger lives among us and does not discriminate. It is here and now. In communities (both yours and mine) children are goingto bed hungry or starting their day without having eaten. Some children have such food insecurity that they are not guaranteed a meal when school is out of session over weekends and school holidays! There are working adults that are going without food and often have to choose between eating, feeding their children, paying the rent, paying the bills, or heating their home. Senior citizens have the dilemma of choosing between medications, food or bills as well. People who are unemployed, the poor and working poor individuals and families are hungry all too often.
I believe that the crippling reality of hunger is a disgrace in this country at this time! My name is Aimée and this organization, rockCANroll, Inc., was founded to help alleviate the hunger crisis that is looming all around us.
The concept is simple and the rewards are immense! My purpose is to bring together designated scheduled events (such as rock concerts, school performances, corporate meetings and outings, celebratory parties, etc…) and tie them together with rockCAN roll, Inc. Patrons attending the “event” are asked to bring a healthy and nutritious can of food (or other specified item) along with them to the event. rockCANroll volunteerscollect and pack-up the cans and deliver them to a local hunger relief organization. These rockCANroll “projects” will serve as a continual source to replenish agencies (with no fees, no costs and no expenses) that support and provide for men, women and children in need of assistance with canned food and basic necessities. The effortless act of giving enhances the events we work with. rock CAN roll, projects demonstrate to all how a small act of kindness CAN turn into an immense project of good!
My vision of rock CAN roll, evolved when Hurricane Mitch devastated Honduras in October of 1998. There was an article in Newsday talking about the horrific conditions and what needed to be done to help the victims there. The article quoted a recent acquaintance of mine, saying, and “if you send money, it will disappear, if you send goods, they will never get to the people that truly need them. The only way to ensure that people in need get help, is to physically go out on the street and hand it out yourself”. I thought I could help by collecting a few boxes of items from my neighbourhood, and send them down to my new friend in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, who in turn could distribute them to the victims that lost everything.
What turned out to be what I thought was a simple act of kindness turned into a huge out- pouring of love that grew beyond my wildest dreams! The “few boxes” I envisioned being sent, turned into a 40 foot container packed with donated food, water, clothes, toys, bedding, medical supplies and more! The one container turned into two more. A second container went to an orphanage full of toys and items for the children. A third – was full of donated fire gear, for the “bombaros”. They are the firemen in San Pedro Sula. San Pedro Sula, is the second largest city in Honduras, with 700,000 people and three working fire hydrants! The firemen of Long Island generously donated gear that was no longer up to US fire code, but was in fine working order. The Rotary Club of Long Island shipped the goods down, via Taca airlines. It was a symphony of magic. I was in awe of what could be accomplished with a little organization, a lot of compassion and a few dedicated volunteers.
I met so many angels along the way, and saw such goodness and joy from the people who were giving. Everyone (from the young children in grade school packing up boxes and writing cards of good wishes, to the seniors that were dropping off supplies at the container) felt so empowered. Everyone gave a little and when we saw that 40 foot container overflowing with donations, we knew something quite incredible had happened.
I thought about it like a jigsaw puzzle – each little piece connected to another to create this beautiful mosaic of good. I thought this could be going on all the time – at schools, at clubs, at meetings, at races, at parties, at concerts and so it has begun. From that grew this.
To hear, Aimee the founder of RockCANRoll.org speak more about the organization, click here.
For more information, contact: aimee@rockCANroll.org