It is easy to get down these days. Watching the news for any length of time
means confronting the sad statistics of how many deaths have happened due to
Covid-19, how much longer we are all going to be social distancing and/or stuck
in our homes, and that a vaccine is a ways off.
So, instead of focusing on the sadness this evening, I am
going to focus on KINDNESS. Namely, how
more funds from the 1st Kindness Yard Sale were used! We raised a total of $1905.76 from the yard
sale last summer (items were donated, shoppers paid whatever they wanted to with
the understanding that every penny raised would be used for kindness) and from
donations that came in after the sale. I
have given updates throughout the year on where all of the money has gone
because I am want to make sure it is completely transparent, well accounted
for, and that YOU read about the kind actions and get inspired to do
some of your own!!
So - here is the latest report:
·
$125 was used to buy $5 Starbucks gift cards for 25 people
working on the front lines: TRADER JOE’S
EMPLOYEES! Grocery store employees have
had to work so hard during this pandemic to keep the shelves stocked,
and the ones at our local Trader Joe’s do it with a smile (that you can’t see
due to their masks…). One afternoon in
April I called to ask how many employees were working. On the way to do our shopping, we bought the
gift cards. And before shopping I
dropped them off in a bag with a thank you card at the customer service
desk. It was very fun!! Lots of employees came and found us while we
shopped to thank us for the gifts. One employee
even said the kind gesture had made her cry.
These are the awesome little kindnesses that can happen because of the
yard sale!!
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| Ready to DELIVER GIFT CARDS and do a huge shopping trip! |
·
$34.20 was used to help a homeless man get a
fresh start living on his own. My friend
Kristi works at a homeless shelter and I was honored to volunteer there one
night for their annual Christmas gift giveaway.
As we talked, she explained that as the people get housed, they should
get a basket of goodies to help them begin their new lives. But the shelter had run out of the supplies,
so people getting housed were no longer getting them. Well, I couldn’t imagine getting a brand
new start in life and having NOTHING but the clothes are your back. How successful can living on your own be if
you have nothing – no plates, cups, salt, pepper, silverware, laundry
detergent… So, I went to a cheap store
and filled up a cart with things I imagined would be helpful. It was a very fun shopping trip!!! I delivered the basket to Kristi, who later
reported she had given it to a client and they were very happy to have the
gifts. Fingers crossed that they are
doing well in their new home.
·
$36.15 was used to mail 2 packages. I saw a woman in a military uniform in the Post
Office parking as I was walking in. She
had 2 boxes that she was arranging. After
I paid for my items, I stepped aside (social distancing) and waited for her to
tape up her boxes and have her turn. As
she was almost finished, I asked if I could use Kindness funds to pay for her
shipping. I couldn’t see her expression
since we were both wearing masks, but her eyes glowed and she was very
happy. At first she thought it was too
much, but as I paid she thanked me very much and said that her sister and the
other recipient of the gifts she was mailing would be VERY HAPPY. I took the opportunity to THANK HER FOR HER
SERVICE.
·
$20 was used to support the My Job Bags campaign,
which I read about on Facebook. Here is
the site’s description of the amazing project: “While the Coronavirus pandemic
has closed schools in Arlington, children across the county continue to learn
from home. Unfortunately, not all families are able to provide their children
with the resources that they would have in a classroom setting. That's why
we've established the My
Job Bags campaign. A child's 'job' is to imagine, create, learn
and play. We're working to assemble bags for children in need and to provide
them with supplies to learn and be creative while at home. We're accepting
monetary donations as well as donations of the supplies below that will be
included in the bags. All money collected will be used to purchase supplies and
the bags will be assembled and distributed by volunteers. Each bag will contain:
crayons, pencils, pencil sharpener, spiral notebook,
construction paper, blunt tip scissors, glue stick, dry
erase board, marker and eraser, children's book, Legos, and bubbles. Through
bulk purchasing we've been able to lower the cost of supplies for each bag to
approximately $6.50 per bag.” So, the Kindness Yard Sale donation
of $20 should help 3 kids get their Job Bags!!
If you would like to donate to this campaign, visit Go Fund Me - My Job Bags
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| The right supplies are essential! |
·
$17.02 was used a couple of months ago to buy
dinner for a family. We landed at Regan
National Airport very late one night. Everything
in the airport had closed and we were the last ones picking up our bags. But a woman and her 2 children were sitting
in the lobby, the kids watching a movie on a device that was plugged in and
charging. As we waited for our bags I went
over to talk to them. It turned out,
they were CAMPING there for the night! Their
flight had been very delayed so they missed a connection and there were no
other flight options, which left them stuck in DC for an ENTIRE DAY. They had taken the metro (subway) into the
city during the day, but now that it was night everything was closed. They didn’t have enough money for a hotel
room. I offered to bring them home and
let them stay at our house, but their morning flight was super early and only a
few hours after we met them. So instead
of housing them, we got them dinner. The
McDonald’s near the airport was open and they were excited to have a hot
meal. We took the order, went and got
it, and delivered it back to the airport.
I think that was Kindness money well spent.
 |
| The golden arches |
·
$20 was used to buy dinner for a homeless man
in a parking lot. My partner and I were
traveling and had just eaten at a tasty little place in the south that had
amazing biscuits. As we were getting in
the car I noticed a man with a backpack.
Attached to the backpack was a MAT made by weaving together plastic
bags. I had read about the mats but
never seen one, so we asked him about it.
He said he had made it himself and that it was very helpful in keeping
dry and more comfortable when lying on the pavement. He was really sweet. We told him the restaurant was delicious and
gave him $20 to go in and eat. He was
very thankful. If you would like to
learn more about the mats made from plastic bags, here is an article with
instructions: Turn Your Plastic Bags Into Sleeping Mats
·
$25 was used to buy a grocery gift card for a
family whose mom, one of the primary earners, was out of work because she got
Covid-19. She was on the recovering end
of the illness but was still not able to work and they were running out of
food. Luckily, the community rallied
around them and made sure they got through.
They were so appreciative of the gift card.
I
have a couple of other kindness projects in the works – funds have been used to
get supplies but because of the pandemic I cannot carry the plans out yet. (For example, one is for a Department of
Motor Vehicles office, and I don’t think this would be a good time to spread
kindness there, even if they are open!).
We
have $103.89 from the Kindness Yard Sale left to be used. I would like YOU to choose where the next $50
goes!! Please comment below with an idea
that is $50. Voting will be by how many “likes”
“loves” or other reactions each idea gets.
I will count the votes and use the $50 at 10:00 pm EST on May 9th. So please, comment with your ideas!!
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| $50, waiting to be used for KINDNESS! (And yes, that IS Harriet Tubman's face on that $20. I fixed it.) |
I
am starting to dream of the 2nd Kindness Yard Sale. I hope that things calm down in our community
before too long and that there are items left to be donated (everyone seems to
be cleaning out closets and basements and attics while they are stuck at home!). If you live in Arlington, VA and have things
to donate for the sale I would LOVE them.
I would love it even more if you could store them until we know when we
can have the sale 😊 .
Thanks
so much for being a part of this grand experiment. It brings me joy, and I hope it does you,
too. Now get out there and be
KIND. But social distance! And wear your mask!!! #KindnessActivist #ALittleKindnessCanGoALongWay #KindnessDuringTimesOfPandemic
