The power of people working together is AMAZING. It is like digging a hole – digging ALONE, it would take hours and hours to dig a deep hole. But if several people pitched in and shoveled, well that hole would be dug out in no time! That’s how it works with funding kindness, too! I may not have a lot of extra funds to help people out, but if I give a bit, someone else gives a bit, you give a bit… It adds up really quickly!
That very thing happened this weekend. I was outside on the porch painting and a woman approached and handed me some cash. I think she has donated to Kindness Activist before, which I am so grateful for. I thanked her and put it in my pocket without counting it (other people were around).
Later that evening I took it out and counted – 5 $20 bills! She had just walked up and given me $100!!! It is a bit like magic, isn’t it?
I thought about how to best use the money and decided on GAS. Gas is so expensive right now, and for some people that increase is really hurting their budget. So, $100 in hand, my partner David and I parked at a gas station and waited for someone to treat…
When doing similar kind acts in the past, I learned that some men have a difficult time accepting financial help from a stranger, particularly a woman. So, I decided I would look for a female driver. I had a budget of $100, so I was looking for a car that could be filled for that much or less (not a huge SUV). And honestly, though I often do Kindness Activist acts without looking for “need”, in this case I kind of hoped I would find someone that would really benefit from having a full tank of gas for free.
It took a while to get the right car at the pump, but I knew her when I saw her! I rushed over to her window before she even got out of the car and announced that her gas would be FREE today. She was perplexed, but I showed her the cash to prove it was real, then rushed inside the station to tell them I was filling up on pump 4!
I came back and told her to fill ‘er up! As she did, she said that her daughter (who was in the car) asked WHY I was paying. I explained that I raise money to spread kindness, and with gas being so expensive right now I thought this would be helpful.
She smiled a big smile and was very thankful. Her daughter was quite excited, too. Her fuel cost $46.77. David and I waited a bit for another person to come, but it got dark and windy, so we decided to save the $53.23 for another day. I can’t wait to see who the next person we get to treat at the pump is!
Kindness Activist funds spent: $46.77
I wrote recently about someone who was brave enough to leave a note in the special box of the Little Yellow Free Pantry with a list of groceries they needed. Well, it happened again! This time 2 women wrote – one on each side of the paper. Each listed their needs, their name, and their phone number.
But the lists were in Spanish. David and I could figure out most of what was asked for, and my good friend Ixi helped translate the rest. She also called the women for me to get their addresses for delivery.
I “shopped” in the pantry supply at our house for some of the items, and the grocery store for the rest. Both households are now stocked up with meat, milk, fruit, and staples! The women were excited when Ixi spoke with them and asked if they could sign up for weekly delivery 😊 . I WISH it would be that easy, but I need to spread the Kindness Activist funds around. Ixi told them they can come get food out of the Little Yellow Free Pantry anytime though.
Kindness Activist funds spent: $117.40
Does anyone else here sometimes grocery shop at Aldi’s?? If you haven’t been to one and there is a location near you, check it out. Not only are the groceries inexpensive, they also have a aisle of strangeness! You never know WHAT you will find in that mystery aisle! A huge candle? A heated dog bed? A blow-up movie screen and projector (they really had that once and boy was I tempted!).
We were in the aisle of strangeness at Aldi’s recently and I spied FROZEN DOLLS. Actual Disney dolls, not fake knock offs. I grabbed 2, knowing that when the Santa Project rolls around again this year some children will undoubtedly ask for Elsa and Anna.
When we got in line a sweet family came behind us. They had a little girl who was probably 4 years old seated in the cart. She and I didn’t share a common language, so I could not talk with her like I do with so many strangers. But we did share something – FROZEN! I held up the Elsa doll and the little girl’s eyes shone! I showed her Anna – she was in heaven!! She knew their names and we giggled as we looked at them.
Only then did I realize my huge mistake… WHAT TORTURE! Here I was showing a little girl dolls that were in MY CART, not hers. Ugh! As David finished checking out our items, I rushed back to the aisle of strangeness. I realized the little girl’s dad had gone to try and find the dolls. I showed him where they were, picked up an Elsa (the last one!) and gestured that I was getting it. I added it to our order, paid, and turned around to present it to my new little friend.
This time it was her parents’ eyes that lit up! They couldn’t believe that a stranger was gifting their daughter a toy. The cashier was also really surprised. I was so glad there was one left when I ran back!
Kindness Activist Funds Used: $20.13
The power of connection over Elsa and Anna: Priceless
I decided to use some
Kindness Activist funds to celebrate Black History Month this year. I wanted to give away some Maya Angelou
quarters, but couldn’t find any “in the wild”.
So, I ordered 5 online and gave them to neighbors who expressed
interest.
It is important to celebrate the achievements of women of color, and I am proud that our country finally made a coin with a black woman on it.
Kindness Activist Funds Used: $7.05
And finally for this report – the gift of warm hands.
I saw someone online asking if anyone had an electric handwarmer that they were looking to get rid of. The woman was hoping to get one for her friend who is going through chemo and, because of Raynaud’s disease, often has cold hands.
That seemed like the perfect use of kindness money, don’t you think? I ordered one online and sent it to the woman to give to her friend. She reported that the gift went over very well. I keep her friend in my thoughts and hope that she is staying warm during treatment.
Kindness Activist Funds Used: $55.46
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