Junior Kindness Activist - ROSIE

One of the things I love about my Kindness Activist work is the opportunity to engage with CHILDREN.  I really like hanging out with kids!  They are funny, energetic, and inspiring.  As Kindness Activist, I’ve spoken to a small troop of Girl Scouts, had neighbor kids over to volunteers, and am going to go work with a group of elementary school kids in an afterschool program next week.  It’s so fun!

Like most things that can positively change the world, starting with kids is the answer.  Understand that climate change is real and destroying the planet?  CALL IN GRETA THUNBERG and her young cohorts!  Want a country where racism doesn’t mean an unequal playing field for people of color every day of their lives?  TEACH THE BABIES TO BE ANTI RACIST!  And want a society where kindness is the norm and permeates everything people do?  START WITH THE CHILDREN.

That philosophy is why I began engaging JUNIOR KINDNESS ACTIVISTS.  Kids get it – they know kindness.  They have seen people be KIND, and they have seen the opposite.  So, I thought, what would THEY do to change the world and make it more kind, if they had the financial resources? 

Meet my friend Rosie, almost 12, and the newest Junior Kindness Activist!  Rosie has been very helpful with Kindness Activist before.  In fact, this winter she and another neighbor put up and decorated the Community Tree of Celebration on our front porch, and it was beautiful!  This time I challenged Rosie by giving her $75 of Kindness Activist money and asking HER to spend it, then write a story to show where it went.  (And her parents chipped in another $25, giving her $100 to use to spread kindness!)

Here, in Rosie’s own words, is how she decided to add more kindness to the world.

“I was chosen by Susan to spend some kindness money to better our community.  The money that was spent was from the Kindness Yard Sale.  That took place last summer.  One of the two things I decided to spend the money on was a local organization called Doorways.  Doorways provides shelter and help to the homeless, domestic abuse survivors, and those who are struggling and need somewhere safe to stay.  I chose this organization because having a safe place to stay is so important to live a happy life and I just love what they are doing for people.

The second thing I spent the Kindness money on was that I bought food like applesauce and granola bars to fill Campbell Elementary School’s food pantry.  I decided to spend the Kindness money on this because every time I had seen that pantry it seemed very empty and I wanted it to be really used.”

Rosie and her friend with groceries for the food pantry at a local school

I love how intentional Rosie was with her funds.  She chose how to use them carefully, and I think she found very impactful ways to spread kindness!!  Way to go Rosie!

Do YOU know a kid who would like to be a part of this kindness revolution?  I am looking for the next Junior Kindness Activist…  The requirements are they must be kind, must be willing to write a story of how they used the money, and to share a photo or two so others can “meet” them.  If you think you know a good candidate, message Kindness Activist on Facebook and introduce me!

Kindness Activist money used:  $75

The Tuna That Changed the World

I live on a very busy corner in South Arlington, VA in a house we refer to as The Big Yellow House.  Arlington is home of the Pentagon, Arlington National Cemetery, and if you stood on my porch and counted for a few hours, what seems like a whole of buses. 

I know that most home buyers would shy away from purchasing a home on one busy street, let alone TWO busy streets!  But we invested in this house in 1999 and have never looked back.  We love the constant motion, noise, and activity that surrounds us here.

About 10 years ago I started doing what I call “projects” outside our home.  Projects vary in nature and scope, but they have a unifying intent: to provide a prompt for community engagement.  You see, I am the type of person who could NEVER walk by a prompt without engaging!  I see a hopscotch board drawn with chalk by a neighborhood child while I am out on a walk?  I PLAY hopscotch!  I see a painted rock hidden in a flower planter??  I pick it up!  I notice the first rose of the season has bloomed?  You can bet I bend over and take a long whiff.  I walk through my world looking through a lens of engagement and activity.  And I don’t know that I realized how unique that perspective was before I began my “projects”.

It turns out that many (if not most) people seem to navigate the world in a bubble.  To me, it is as if they have blinders on.  They can walk by a prompt, a blatantly OBVIOUS prompt, and either ignore it or not see it.  It used to baffle me so much!!  I would set up a project and be super excited about it.  For example, I hung around 75 brightly colored Easter eggs (which I call “Springtime eggs” because we live in a diverse community, and I want to be respectful of all) on our chain link fence.  Each egg hung from a silk ribbon, at varying heights.  Big signs encouraged passersby to choose an egg and take it.  I would stand inside the house and peek out the front door and see people WALK BY WITHOUT STOPPING.  Some didn’t glance at the eggs swaying in the breeze, others peered out of the corner of their eye but kept moving.  Or, for another project, I hung a digital camera on our front gate with signs that explained people could use it to take photos of things that represented INSPIRATION, BEAUTY, and JOY to them.  Once again, I was incredulous at how many people could pass by such an interesting experiment and choose not to engage.  HOW?? 

I view these projects as community art.  Community building.  Social experiments.  They bring me joy and energy and I really value doing them.

So, when I started the Little Yellow Free Pantry project on March 6, 2021, I think my lens on it was that it was like all of the other projects I have hosted: it would be a chance to engage the community, and even help a few people out.

What I did NOT foresee was that this little pantry, designed to mimic Little Free Libraries, made from an Ikea storage cube, would add a dimension to my life that I hadn’t realized was missing.

The Little Yellow Free Pantry has re-energized me.  It has introduced me to new neighbors.  It has given me a renewed purpose in life.  It has helped me set higher goals for my work.  And it has brought a community together.

All with a can of tuna!

Of course, it is much more than tuna, but tuna is a definite pantry staple. 

When I started the pantry, I used Kindness Activist funds to buy materials to make it and fill it with food the first time (a $217.64 investment).  Then I introduced the pantry to the community, and the rest is history. 

Opening Day of the Little Yellow Free Pantry

The Little Yellow Free Pantry has taken on a life of its’ own!  Not only does it help feed neighbors and passersby who are experiencing food shortages, it gives purpose to neighbors who have enough food for their own tables and now have a place to share.  Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t bring a donation over for the pantry or contact me asking what is needed.  And because we live in such a diverse area, the donations are unique and exciting!  People bring Hispanic food, Indian food, Asian food, sometimes food I have never ever seen or tasted!! 

I LOVE THE PANTRY.  I treat it like a little shop.  I love to fill it and organize it.  I have a system – not sure if frequent visitors notice it or not.  The top shelf is typically canned goods of all types.  The bottom shelf can hold taller items – so shampoo, cake mixes, oils, etc. go there.  Rice and dried beans have homes on the bottom shelf, too.  There is a special box with note cards and a pen inside so that visitors can write down items they need and their contact information, and on top of that box I make sure there are plenty of snacks.  And I always try to keep 2 beverages in the pantry so thirsty passersby can get a drink.  I am careful to make it PRETTY – all labels facing front, so that visitors can see what is on offer and so that it looks respectable.  My partner David even installed motion detector LIGHTS that come on when people open the doors after dark, so they can see what is available.

And the items in the pantry must be GOOD.  My theory is, if I wouldn’t use it, I won’t put it in the pantry.  That doesn’t mean everything has to be things I enjoy eating, but nothing can be expired or junky looking.  I firmly believe that pantry visitors should have the same experience at the pantry as I do at the grocery store – enjoy looking at the choices and making their selections.

It is always special when I see a visitor stop at the pantry.  I love going outside and chatting with them.  The first couple of weeks I was a bit overeager and would rush out to talk to visitors, sometimes I probably scared them!  But now I let them peruse a little, then I pop out and greet them.  I asked what else they would like and explain that I have more food inside that I can bring out to them.

And the food inside the house…  Oh, there is food inside the house!!  There is a bin marked for donations on our front porch, and just about every day there are items left in it.  I carry them down to our basement in the “pantry storage area”, which keeps growing and growing…  Whenever friends who have not seen the pantry storage area see it the first time, their eyes get really big. 

Because what I have learned is that you cannot keep a little pantry FULL without having a lot of food on hand.  So, there are big shelving units in the basement stocked with items – peanut butter, jelly, cake mixes, tea, cereal, toiletries, pasta, canned meats, vegetables, and fruit…  All items are sorted by type of food so that it is easy to find what is needed to put outside.  When I started this project I had no concept of how much food would be needed to maintain it.  The pantry itself looks tiny – but keeping it full takes a LOT of food.

Peanut Butter is a pantry staple

Canned vegetables 

It also takes a lot of TIME.  That is something I hadn’t much considered when I started, either.  I mean, how hard can it be to put cans of veggies into a little pantry??  But checking the pantry is one of the first things I do every morning (sometimes in my pj s) and one of the last things I do each night (and many times in between). 

I have also realized that people depend on the pantry now for nourishment.  There are regulars who come and “shop”, and many people drop in when they need to.  And because they depend on it, I can’t let it go unattended.  That means when I go on vacation and am out of town, I need to find other people to maintain it.  That’s where the PANTRY CREW comes in!   The crew is a group of very sweet, trusted friends who take turns filling the pantry up when I am not around to do it.  Some of them have children that they bring along to assist.  I love that – those kids are learning kindness firsthand!  And they are great helpers.  In fact, two of them (and their mother) came over this week and split 40 pounds of donated rice into smaller seal bags for distribution. 

And not only neighbors are generous with their pantry donations.  A local pie shop has donated gift certificates for PIE, and the local Trader Joe’s has been very, very supportive in donating much needed items!  What I find so amazing is that I didn’t even ASK Trader Joe’s to help.  Mind you, I love Trader Joe’s and that is where we do the vast majority of our grocery shopping, but THEY reached out to ME when they saw the pantry and asked if they could do anything to help! 

Trader Joe's Clarendon's most recent donations!  Crackers, honey, coffee, and almond milk

Eventually I may work up the nerve to ask some other local businesses if they would like to donate.  It would be amazing to have gift cards for a couple of local restaurants or the local coffee shop to give to pantry visitors.  But for now it is NEIGHBORS who generously fill the pantry needs.  One of my favorite things about this project is that it allows EVERYONE who wants to to be involved.  It is easy to pick up an extra bag of sugar to give to the pantry while you are doing your shopping.  One neighbor baked bread for the pantry.  Neighbors who are on limited incomes and receive food from a local food bank sometimes sort through their cupboards and donate the items their families will not eat.  And when I put out a call for specific things the pantry is low on, neighbors respond en mass with bags and boxes of whatever was asked for.  It.  Is.  Beautiful.  And so inspiring. 

So yes, this project turned into more than I ever imagined.  It takes much more work than I expected.  It takes loads of time that I didn’t anticipate.  But even more so, it brings more joy, focus, and clarity to my life than I have had in a while.  It give me, and the community that supports it, a purpose.  We have something tangible to rally around. 

All because of cans of tuna…

As of today, February 18, 2022, the pantry is low on:

-         Canned meat (tuna, Spam, chicken, salmon, oysters, any meat)

-         Jelly

-         Cookies

-         Maseca (flour used to make tortillas)

-         Feminine hygiene products

-         Canned fruit

-         Bags of sugar

-         Grocery store gift cards are always welcome

Thank you to all who have supported this effort.  The people who help stock when I am gone.  The people who donate.  The people who visit and get food.  And the people who honk and wave when they see me outside filling the pantry.

And maybe a can of tuna can't change the world.  But it CAN change a mindset.  And a dinner.  And a community.  

And that’s good enough for me.

To read about the camera project mentioned in this piece, go to: Inspiration, Beauty, and Joy

To read a previous piece about the Little Yellow Free Pantry, visit:  Day 20

Clean Clothes of Kindness

Many Kindness Activist acts happen spontaneously – paying for someone’s gas at the gas station, buying lottery tickets for strangers, sitting down and ordering something from a stranger’s Amazon Wish List.

Some Kindness Activist acts take preparation – Cups of Kindness (handing out free hot cocoa, coffee, and tea), the Little Yellow Free Pantry (keeping a free pantry stocked so neighbors can get needed food), and for sure the annual Kindness Yard Sale.

But other Kindness Activist acts don’t necessarily take a lot of preparation, but they percolate a long time before actually coming to life…  And that’s what happened with Clean Clothes of Kindness!!

When the producers from the CBS show “On The Road With Steve Hartman” contacted me last October saying they wanted to do a story on Kindness Activist, they requested that I come up with a good kind act that they could follow me on and film.  My partner David and I thought long and hard about what that might be, and he came up with a terrific one – go to a laundromat and pay for strangers’ laundry!  I LOVED it, the producers didn’t, and so it didn’t get done for the tv story.

But I have been thinking about it for the last 4 months and last night we finally made it happen!  We stocked up on dryer sheets and Tide detergent pods and hit the local laundromat!

We chose to go late on a Saturday night.  There were not a lot of people there (safer Covid-wise, but not as much opportunity to help as many people as we would’ve liked).  But it was REALLY FUN!

Here’s how it went down:

 Clean Clothes of Kindness Video

Like I said in the video, we will be back and do it again!  We learned a few lessons that we will definitely apply next time:

1.     It is better if David approaches males and asks if we can pay.  Accepting help (especially in the form of money) from a female is difficult for many men.

2.     We will try at a different time of day when there might be more people.

3.     We will introduce ourselves to the laundromat worker when we go in, so she/he doesn’t suspect us of doing something weird like selling Tide Pods 😊 (No, maam, seriously, we are just GIVING them to people and paying for laundry tonight!)

4.     We might bring a friend with us who speaks Spanish.  Many of the people there were Spanish speakers and they might have accepted the gift more rapidly if it had been explained in their native language.

My favorite people that we helped were a young Hispanic couple.  Once we got past the language barrier, they smiled and allowed us to pay.  But their smiles grew bigger and BIGGER when they watched us pay for OTHERS.  They understood that the act was simply of kindness, not of pity.  It was an act of sharing with the world, and as they watched others also share, they knew they were part of a little club.  It was lovely.

This kind act reminded again how privileged I am to have a washer and dryer right in my home.  To be able to go to my basement and throw in a load of laundry at any time of the night or day…  To not have to haul huge, heavy bags of laundry out in the cold…  To be able to savor folding the soft, warm towels instead of hurry to get it done and go back home…

I am excited to do this act of kindness again.  We have lots of laundry soap and dryer sheets left, all we need to do is make time and open our hearts.

Kindness Activist funds spent:  $24.99 on supplies, $32.75 on quarters in washers and dryers.

P.S. – I used a word in the video that I am working hard to rid my vocabulary of, “crazy”.  I said, “I hope people do not think we are crazy”.  I am sorry.  Please do as I say and not as I did in this video and work hard to eliminate that word from your vocabulary. 

P.P.S. – I also mistakenly referred to CBS as NBC in the video…  My bad.  Sorry Steve!