By Allison Helms
Volunteers arrive at Greg Poole, Jr. All Faiths Chapel around 9 a.m. to help organize the lunch for the Monks. Volunteers bring hand warmers, water, and gloves for the crowd outside the Chapel as well.
A woman sits outside All Faiths Chapel, awaiting the monk’s arrival around 12 p.m. Spectators start arriving Dorothea Dix Park at 9 a.m. to await their arrival.
An organizer for the event crouches on the floor receiving information via Walkie Talkie on the whereabouts of the monks. A Walk for Peace live map is also available for people to access through their social media, tracking lunch, and overnight sleep spots.
A volunteer and her son add the finishing touches to their dish for the monks. Multiple churches were involved in the process, including the Bishop of the Diocese of North Carolina, Reverend Sam Rodman.
Fellow Buddhist monks from the triangle area travel to join the monks in communion. They sit around congregating with other volunteers in the Chapel.
Raleigh Police Department officers exchange flowers with one another as they leave Greg Poole Jr, All Faiths Chapel, to prepare for the monks’ walk to the Raleigh Capitol.
As thousands of people gather at the Capitol in Raleigh, children climb and sit atop a tree to get a better view of the monks’ arrival. After arrival, the monks give a speech to the large crowds surrounding the capital.
A young child sits atop shoulders as she waves her rainbow streamer in the air, celebrating the arrival of the monks to Raleigh.
