kindness activist

kindness activist

Saturday, August 13, 2022

Back To School Kindness

Hot date Saturday night here!  We went to Walmart for some BACK-TO-SCHOOL SHOPPING!! 

But not for us, for strangers.  School in this area starts on Monday.  Would there be any last-minute shoppers???  You bet there were! 

We started the adventure by strolling around the school supplies aisle to see if there was anyone we could treat.  The parameters were simple:  the student should be present, and the recipients should be diverse.   I fished my wish!!  There were lots of shoppers and they were indeed diverse.  We treated people who were Hispanic, African American, Nepalese, white, and Jamaican.

Anyone need a new backpack?

We ended up with 8 separate orders at the cash registers, but most orders were for multiple students.  We had:  an adorable kindergarten girl with beautiful braids, brothers who looked like twins but weren’t going into 1st and 2nd grades, a girl going into her senior year, a little girl going into 1st grade who talked so quietly I could barely hear her, a 2nd grade teacher, a girl going into 9th grade, and more!  It was so fun!

Here are some stats of what was purchased:

-         9 boxes of crayons in various forms

-         6 backpacks

-         52 composition books

-         10 packs of filler paper

And lunch boxes and water bottles and pencils (oh looooads of pencils!) and erasers and highlighters and scissors and Kleenex and Clorox wipes and rules and staples and pencil cases (including several kids who picked my favorite one with pop-its on it!) and pens and mechanical pencils and Elmer’s glue and glue sticks (including the shy girl who picked the scented glue sticks that I recommended, cuz, duh, SCENTED!!!), and 3 ring binder and plastic folders and spiral notebooks and markers (including the girl who got a great pack of Sharpies that I secretly coveted) and post-it notes and dividers and a badge holder and dry erase markers and more and more and more until our eyes were popping out of our heads!!  It was brilliantly fun!

I have always loved school supplies.  They are so shiny and bright when they are brand new.  They practically scream new possibilities!  So, it was an honor to be able to treat so many kids to what they need to start the year off right. 

Sometimes when we do a Kindness Activist act, people are hesitant to accept the gift and say no.  But on this adventure not a single person rejected the gift of school supplies!  The parents were soooo appreciative, too.  One mother had been struggling to make ends meet due to a shoulder injury keeping her off work.  One dad had just had Covid and relocated his family.  Two moms cried at the check-out.  One mom’s eyes got so big when I said, “OK, those are the supplies on the list.  Now, does he need a backpack?  A lunch bag??”.  Mom gently nodded her head yes, and off her son and I went to choose the ones he wanted.

As I was ringing up one woman’s cart (the only person who did not have a child with them), I asked what grade her child would be in.  She said, “Oh, my kids are in college…  But I am a 2nd grade teacher…”.  Well then, kids who show up to that classroom without the needed supplies will have a stash to choose from!

All in all, we rang out 8 separate orders (but served many more than 8 students as most orders were for more than one child).  We spent an average of $121.09 on each order.  School supplies are not cheap!  We were thanked repeatedly, God blessed often, given handshakes, and even hugs.  One delighted recipient asked hopefully, “Will you be here again next year??”.

No ma’am, we probably won’t be in this same store for back-to-school shopping next year.  But I can promise you that we will be somewhere, spreading kindness and then sharing the stories of it.  So be on the look-out! 

School shopping is exhausting!

Total Kindness Activist funds spent -  $1089.79

P.S. – also purchased for students on this shopping trip but not directly school supply related:  two packs of underwear and one small Anna from Frozen doll 😊

Friday, August 12, 2022

Another KINDNESS RIPPLE (Plus More Stories of Kindness)!

I had another reminder recently of how KINDNESS RIPPLES are real, and they work!  I checked my email and found an amazing note.  And I was reminded that being open and freely talking about kindness does indeed inspire more kindness to be spread.

 Here is the email:

 
“I read your blog periodically, which I love. I found it in an article, I’m not sure where now, possibly the Good News website. Anyway, I’ve been a believer in random acts of kindness for quite some time now. I happened to read your most recent post on July 25 & found it very enlightening. 

I’ve mostly done my acts of kindness quietly without sharing with anyone. I didn’t want to be ‘boastful’, so to speak. But after reading your blog about kindness ripples, I now think differently. If, by sharing our acts of kindness, we can inspire others to also go forth with acts of kindness, then it’s well worth sharing to others. 

We have a free community food shelf not far from us. We also have a local food bank, but I realize, especially now, that people might not qualify for the food bank for varying reasons, or the food bank food doesn’t go far enough. I like to stock up on canned & packaged sale items for the shelf when I do my grocery shopping. My husband & I are retired but we are fortunate enough to have more than enough to share. 

It always gives me such pleasure to put items on the shelf. I place them nicely, so people can see them as they drive by. When I can fill up much of the shelves, it is a real thrill. Lately, when I go, the shelf is completely empty :( So many people are hurting financially & food has become so expensive. I tend to buy things children like, since I’m a retired K/1 teacher. But I also love putting tins of coffee, etc. as a ’treat’ as well. We live in a rural area, so people will leave fresh produce from their gardens & even eggs from their chickens. 

It used to be just an open, rickety shelf that was affected by the weather. Someone around the corner from shelf built a beautiful, larger shelf, with a clear, latching door that stays dry! What an improvement.

So, that is my kindness story. I mostly wanted to thank you for the inspiration to share our acts of kindness with others so that kindness can spread. 

Thank you for all you do in making the world a better place.

Mary, White Salmon, WA”

IT WORKED!  THE KINDNESS RIPPLE SPREAD!  I was giddy when I read the email.  Inside, I know that sharing stories of kindness creates more kindness in the world.  But when someone takes time out of their busy lives to sit down and tell me about it, well, that gives me goosebumps!

Since we are all here and reading, let’s share a couple of stories of where Kindness Activist money has been used lately! 

First off, it is BACK TO SCHOOL time in America.  Sadly, for many teachers, that means spending money out of their own pockets to buy supplies for their classrooms.  Teachers are already overworked and underpaid, and the thought of them having to stock their classrooms, too, frustrates me.  So, when a couple of local teachers posted that they were looking for classroom items, I knew Kindness Activist funds were perfect to help meet the requests.

Amazon really makes shopping for things like classrooms so easy!  I just took a peek at the teachers’ Amazon Wish Lists, chose some items, and shipped them directly to the educators.  Easy peasy! 

Classroom items were sent to a few teachers and included items like:  glue gun and glue sticks, bean bag chair, markers, magnets, wall paper, highlighters, a bunch of great books, and pop-its!  One teacher sent a lovely thank you and this photo of her adorable classroom (Kindness Activist funds were used to purchase the teal beanbag, doesn’t it look like a cozy place to read???)

 


I hope to treat one more teacher with some needed supplies for their classroom.  If you have a wish list for your room, please comment with the grade you teach and the wish list link!

Kindness Activist funds used on 2022 classroom supplies (so far!):  $315.32


My partner David and I recently discovered a lovely coffee shop called Sweet Marlays in Daytona Beach, Florida.  The dΓ©cor is warm and inviting, the coffee and food is delicious.  But even more important than those important factors was the diversity and welcomeness of the shop.  As soon as we walked in, I could feel that the space was INCLUSIVE. 



We saw a man seated in a comfy chair talking.  I thought he was talking to someone, but it turned out he was chatting to no one in particular.  He talked about what time the baseball game was going to be that evening and who was playing.  He talked about the news.  He laughed a lovely laugh, which he broke into often.  And he did all of this at a rather loud level, and all to the general space. 

As we ordered at the counter, I asked the barista who the man chatting was and if he came to the coffee shop often.  She smiled a very big smile, told us his name, and said, "Oh yes!  He is here every day.  Sometimes he leaves to go on walks, but he leaves his things here.  Those two people at that table are with him.  They stay all day.  And since tonight is Thursday, at 5:00 pm they will go next door for burger night!”. 

Her explanation of the customers was full of joy.  She was not judging them, they were her friends and a constant in her life.  And, as David and I drank our coffee, it became clear that the 3 daily visitors were friends of everyone who came in and out of the shop.  Everyone was happy to greet them, and some sat down next to them to chat.

I asked the barista if the guests were housed or not, and she explained that all 3 of them live in the same house.  I asked if the coffee shop gave them free coffee and food, and she explained that they have a “bottomless cup” policy, which is used by these three guests 😊, and that sometimes other diners pick up their tabs. 

As David and I sat, drinking, eating, and playing UNO, I listened to the chatter of the three.  It was so sweet.  Tom, with his distinctive laugh, seemingly randomly coming up with topics to talk about to no one in particular.  The woman, seated at another table, proclaiming that she needed a can of TUNA as she had decided to make Tuna Helper when she got home.  She was concerned about her lack of tuna though, after all (she explained to her housemate seated across from her), she had only ONE CAN and the recipe on the box called for TWO.  She fretted about the situation a while and came up with a plan – call another friend and check if he was going to Dollar Tree.  If he was, perhaps he could pick her up a can!  

That idea worked, but instead of putting her mind at ease, she continued chatting about the Tuna Helper dilemma.  A woman who came in for coffee sat down next to her, heard the tale, and supportively explained, “You know, you can make it with one can!  It will work!  You don’t have to have two cans!  That’s just a suggestion!”. 

Tuna Helper situation solved, the woman moved onto explaining to her housemate last night’s dinner – brown rice - and how to cook it.  She gave the recipe over and over and over, but instead of being annoying, the repetition felt comforting, perhaps like rice itself comforts. 

I couldn’t help but think I would love to spend more time with these people and be their friend.  They seemed like very kind, genuine people.  I decided that using Kindness Activist funds to support their coffee and food at the shop would be money well spent, so I bought a gift certificate for them.  Basically, I opened up a coffee tab 😊 .  The baristas will write on the back of the paper certificate how much is used and keep a running total.

I hope we get to visit that coffee shop again.  I would love to sit down and have a chat.

Kindness Activist funds used:  $100

 

If you have never been to our home, well, at times it is a bit of an overwhelming mess…

Some nice friends have said, “Susan, your house is not a MESS!  Your house is full of KINDNESS just waiting to happen!!”. 

But the donations from sweet neighbors can pile up sometimes, and our front porch can take on the look of a thrift shop.  That’s why it is never very surprising when people see me outside on our porch and assume a yard sale is taking place. 

This was the rush of donations before the 
2021 sale!  See, a LOT!
But no – the Kindness Yard Sale is once a year, so I always explain to confused would-be-shoppers that the sale is not NOW, I am just getting things organized for the upcoming sale.  I wish I knew how to explain that in multiple languages – that would come in handy!

One afternoon I explained the situation to one woman who came up hoping to shop.  She was disappointed and turned to go.  But then she came back and explained as best she could in English that she needed $2 for the bus.

I couldn’t let her shop through the piles of donations, but I could get her bus fare!  As I handed it to her, she told me thank you (both with words and with her big smile).

I hope to see her back September 17th and 18th for the 2022 Kindness Yard Sale!

Kindness Activist funds used:  $2


Last story for this report. 

Imagine making a fresh start.  Like, completely starting over.  Think of all of the things you would need – pillow, towels, silverware, shoes, soap…  And, you may want a bra.

If you don’t wear bras, you might not know that they are quite hard to fit, especially for large-busted people.  The bra must be supportive, comfortable, pretty, not hot…  It’s hard to find one bra that meets all of the qualifications!  And when you find one, it is usually expensive…  But, if you are starting over from scratch, a good bra is a necessity.

That is why, when I heard about the need for a bra for a woman getting a fresh start at life, I jumped to purchase two (for those not in the know, one bra is not enough – when it gets dirty and needs to be washed you have to have a back-up).

I had the bras delivered directly to where they were needed.  I hope that they fit.  I hope that they made the recipient smile.  I hope that having new bras eliminated one worry.

May we all be granted fresh starts when we need them.

Kindness Activist funds used:  $58.24

More stories about kindness soon. 

For now, go out there and keep those Kindness Ripples spreading!!  And when you DO, please tell me about it!  Send stories of kindness you do, see, or receive to:  KindnessActivist@Gmail.com .

And if you are a teacher in need of supplies, please share your Amazon wish list.  I would like to help one more classroom, and perhaps other readers will pitch in, too!

If you would like to help keep the Little Yellow Free Pantry filled, you can find current needs the following link.  The most needed items as of mid-August 2022 are:  peanut butter, canned fruit, jelly, single servings of snacks like chips, and cans of soup.  The items needed are included, but the brands are not specific, any brand works!  at:  https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/378MMHXOYF3LP?ref_=wl_share

And remember, the 2022 Kindness Yard Sale is coming up September 17 and 18!  Hope to see you there!  More information coming soon. 


Saturday, August 6, 2022

Asking for Help

Asking for help is DIFFICULT.  Most of us struggle with admitting we need help, then being vulnerable enough to ask for it.  When was the last time you actually asked for help?  Not when someone voluntarily gave you help – “Here, your hands are full, let me get the door for you,” – but when you humbled yourself enough to ask for help.

I admire people who are strong enough to ask for help.  And if they put a specific ask into the universe, I am honored to have Kindness Activist funds to help meet their asks.  There have been three of those this week, so I will share them here. 

1.      A member of a Facebook group I belong to recently posted this:  Does anybody have baby formula that can give it to me, because my babe doesn’t have any more formula.  “I really need some.  It doesn’t matter what formula it is, I just need some please.  Thank you!

Isn’t that brave?  The past months have been filled with parents needing formula because of the shortages on the shelves.  But this mother needed formula period.  Any kind.  Just something to feed her baby.

Because of the generous people who shopped at the 2021 Kindness Yard Sale and those that gave donations, Kindness Activist had money to get this baby 3 cans of formula.  I like to imagine that baby gobbled some up and had a nice, tummy-filled rest.

 Kindness Activist money spent:  $81.96 

2.     We saw a family sitting on the ground behind their van in a very busy gas station parking lot.  It was a woman, man, 2 children, and one small infant.  The man held a sign saying that they needed gas. 

Now, I know that many people do not believe that people holding signs asking for things are being truthful.  And maybe sometimes they are not.  But I think it takes courage for this man and woman to sit out in the blazing son and ask for help.  Plus, they asked for gas, not money.  

I walked up to them and said I could get them some gas.  They all leapt into the van and the dad drove up to a gas pump.  “I can get you $50 worth of gas,” I said.  His face showed me that he was not certain what I said, so I clarified, “5 – 0”.  His eyes lit up.  $50 of gas would get him quite a ways!  As he pumped the gas (and very carefully watched the pump so that he would no go over and take advantage of the kindness being offered), I asked a bit about his story.  I could not understand the name of the country they had arrived from, but they came through Mexico to enter the US.  The children were 4, 2, and 2 months, and all were beautiful.  One little boy kept poking his head out of the driver’s window to see what was going on.  He said something, and the father translated for me, “He say he is very grateful and thank you”. 

The man showed me that he had a monitoring bracelet on his ankle.  “Immigration,” he explained.  “Difficult.”  Oh yes, so very difficult.  He said in the best English that he could that he moved his family here so they could all have a better life.  That working was hard, but when he got a green card it would all be worth it. 

        
 Welcome to America, sir.  I am sorry that I could not do more for you, but may               your family settle down in this country and thrive. 

Kindness Activist money spent:  $49.98 

3.     And finally for this accounting, a woman who I had left a note in the Little Yellow Free Pantry outside our home a few months ago asking for diapers one time texted today.  She said she and her son were at our door, but we didn’t seem to be home.  She needed diapers and wondered if we had any. 

Well, because of her courage in being willing to ask for help, and because of funds raised by Kindness Activist, I was able to order not only diapers to be sent directly to her, but also wipes, snacks, and toys for her children.  I wish I could be a fly on the wall and see her smile when the packages arrive on Monday. 


Kindness Activist money spent:  $88.53 

People like these, people willing to put themselves out there and ask for assistance, inspire me.  I wish more of us were willing to ask for what we need.  It’s not always a physical “thing” we need.  Maybe we wish our children would call us more often.  Maybe we would like a co-worker to go on a lunch time walk with us.  Maybe we need a bit of help setting up a new computer…  But we are too embarrassed to ASK for what we want/need.  I am going to try and take a lesson from the people I assisted recently and ASK FOR HELP.  What can it hurt, right?  I hope you, too, will be inspired and brave enough to ask for help when you need it.


Note:  photos in this piece are not my own, but stock photos.  They do not represent the actual people assisted.