Oh so tired.
If there is an award for “non-employee
staying at a Five Guys restaurant for the longest period of time” I most
certainly won it today. I was at Five
Guys from 1:55 pm to 8:20 pm. Whew!!
But what a grand event it
turned out to be! A neighbor who works
with Five Guys corporate reached out a couple of months ago and asked if Kindness
Activist would like to hold a fundraising event at the new restaurant in
Arlington. It is a historic location
because they built it in the same location as the very first ever Five
Guys. Of course, we said YES to a
fundraiser. I mean, we love finding
creative ways to raise money to spread kindness, and who doesn’t love Five Guys
food??
I have seen schools and
sports clubs advertise these events at restaurants but had no idea how it
worked. I asked lots of questions –
could I bring cake to share with guests, what times could it be, how did the
percentage split work, would take-out orders count… We set a date for a Sunday afternoon in September,
then the store emailed to apologize and explain that they learned the events
had to be during the week. We chose a
date (September 25) and the hours stayed the same as we had arranged for the
weekend date – 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm.
As the event grew closer,
I realized the times were not ideal… It
was a THURSDAY, and most people would be at work during those times (or
commuting). Oops. But I had asked so many questions already… I decided to just go with the flow, not rock
the boat, and test it all out so I could better understand the whole concept.
Today I put on my Kind is
Cool shirt and packed a roller bag of things to do. I told David, “I don’t think there will be
many people. I am looking at this event
as a day to learn the ropes, and to have 4 hours of free time to sit and
get things done!!”.
Only, I was wrong. Oh so wrong.
The first person must’ve
walked in around 2:10. I saw her even
before she came in the door. She peeked
inside, changed her mind, and started walking away. But something made her turn back…
I thought I may have
recognized her as a pantry guest. I gave
her a big smile, which she returned. We exchanged
pleasantries about how lovely the weather was and she made her way over to my
table and sat down. I realized I did not
know her – but I would soon. We talked
for a good 20 minutes. She told me
several sweet stories. As we talked, I folded
colorful sheets of paper I had brought. I planned to make LOTS of Daily Polls
for our street corner today. I thought
that would be a fantastic use of time – getting ahead on that task.
I think I finally asked
her what she planned to eat. “I haven’t
had any food since breakfast!” she declared.
“Do you serve turkey burgers??”.
Ahhh – she thought I worked
there! It was quite funny. “I thought you were folding menus or something,”
she said. I invited her to come sit back
down as they prepared her meal and we continued our conversation.
Then the first “official”
guest came, a very sweet neighbor. She joined
my new friend and I at the table.
And I can confidently say –
there was not a moment of “silence” or slow time after that. There was a steady stream of people – far more
than I imagined. It was fun seeing so
many neighbors! I got to talk to many,
many people.
Two people who wanted to
attend but couldn’t sent donations. They
asked us to use the money to treat someone to a meal. Challenge accepted!!
At first, we thought we
should use it to buy food for people experiencing homelessness. Only, there didn’t appear to be anyone in
that situation around the restaurant at that time…
Then we thought treating
someone at the bus stop would be great – but if you were waiting for a bus, you
might not want to go inside to order a meal…
You might miss your bus! We considered
buying meals and walking down the street a bit to give them to people
experiencing homelessness in another area where we felt they would certainly
be. But really – half the fun of eating
out is getting to pick what you want to eat, right?? It didn’t feel “right” for us to choose and
just drop the food off.
So, we got the great idea
to offer meals to people getting OFF the bus.
An intrepid crew of 3 kids and 1 adult went out to choose the first
person!
It didn’t take long for them
to walk back in. “We found someone!!”
they said. And sure enough they
had. It was a woman who looked like she
was probably coming home from a day in the office. She was delighted to be treated to a tasty
meal!!
As we waited for her
dinner to be prepared we chatted about Kindness Activist and the work that we
do. She was very interested and hopes to
get involved in future events. She asked
if she could take a selfie, because she wanted to post about her wild
experience of getting off the bus and being surprised and delighted by
kindness.
Surprise!! Free meal for you!
Next up was 2 young men. They were a bit confused about what was
happening – why was Five Guys giving them free food? We explained the fundraiser, and the generous
donors who wanted to buy strangers meals.
They both ordered very carefully, not wanting to spend too much of the
money. It was very sweet.
It's your lucky day - free dinner!
Next up was another
woman. She was so happy!! “Is it my BIRTHDAY???” she asked
incredulously. Nooo – but it is
your lucky day! That meal used up the
donated funds and so we thought we were done with spreading kindness (while at
a kindness fundraising event!). But we
were wrong.
Because I looked out the
window and saw a man who looked exactly like the “target audience” that we had thought
we wanted. He was smiling in the sunshine. He may have not had shelter. And he looked hungry.
I rushed outside before he
could leave and asked, “Hey – would you like a hamburger and fries?? They are really tasty”. He gave me a big smile and said yes, yes he
would. So, in we went.
The line was a bit long at
that point and I told him it would be a few minutes before his turn. “Mind if I sit here while I wait?” he
asked. “Sure. I will hold the place in line,” I told him.
And he sat right down on a
seat. A seat in that clean, air
conditioned, nice restaurant. A seat that
he probably usually would not be allowed to take.
Moments like that humble
me and make me consider my privilege. I can
pretty much walk into any establishment I like, order something – anything,
maybe just a soda or cup of coffee. I can
cool off. Use the wifi. Go to the bathroom…
I can. But many cannot.
As he sat and rested, he
called me over. He had been studying the
menu. “Do you think I could get a BLT
instead?” he asked. “Yes sir, a BLT
sounds delicious! What to drink?”. He said he didn’t want a drink. “No drink???” I asked. “Hey, how about a SHAKE??” I offered. Ahhh - now a shake got his attention. He examined the shake menu and decided
vanilla was in order. “Want whipped
cream on that?” I asked with a grin. He flashed
a mischievous grin and declared, “Why yes!”.
When it was almost my turn
to place his order, a neighbor came up and handed me a $20 bill. “For his food,” she told me. No – I explained that we would buy it with
kindness funds. “No, no, I want to”.
Kindness begets kindness.
When the man’s food was
ready he picked it up and headed out. I was
in another conversation at the time so didn’t get to say goodbye.
Another neighbor and her 2
daughters came in a bit later and as I greeted them I explained that man
outdoors had just been treated to a delicious meal thanks to someone’s
generosity. The woman teared up.
“My daughter…” she said,
pointing to her young girl. “My daughter… We saw that man outside, and my daughter
asked if we could buy him some food. But
it is so hard. You know, to kind of
assume someone’s situation and that they need food…”. She wiped away tears.
What a beautiful
connection. And such a true
sentiment. It is difficult to find a way
to ask that won’t be offensive or belittling.
And sometimes the ask is not accepted.
In fact, that happened today. One
beautiful neighbor asked someone who looked hungry if she would like a free
meal, and the person declined. It’s
awkward when that happens, but that can’t stop us from being open and kind.
Another person cried
today, too. Who would’ve thought that an
afternoon in a burger joint would bring tears, but it did. A neighbor was standing looking at the menu
and I greeted her and asked how she was.
At first, she gave the usual, pat answer of being fine. Then she confessed that actually she wasn’t
fine. That it had been a very hard
day. “Hey, I had that kind of a day just
yesterday,” I told her. I don’t know her
well enough to know if she is the hugging type, but I couldn’t help
myself. And as we hugged, I felt her
cry.
Some days are hard. Hugs are good medicine.
All afternoon people came
and went. They chatted. Some drew pictures for the Five Guys bulletin
board. Some gave suggestions on how we
could use the funds raised.
Neighbors met neighbors. They sat at tables and dined together. They told life stories. They shared the experience.
I thought it would be
quiet. I thought I would “get things
done”.
And I did get things
done.
Not the things I packed
into my little bag.
But the things that NEEDED
to be done.
Laughing.
Listening.
Talking.
Giggling.
Hugging.
Caring.
Eating.
Serving.
And being kind.
Speaking of kind, the
restaurant extended the event an additional hour. I am not sure when we will find out how much
money we raised. But I know one thing –
however much it is, it is enough.
Christina, the neighbor who works for Five Guys Corporate and
reached out to see if we would like to have a fundraiser
Because the kindness shown
today was incredible. People being
patient with lines. Being patient with
new restaurant employees. Being open and
brave enough to sit with strangers and talk.
And people showing up. Supporting this little thing called Kindness
Activist.
The work continues. I came home to find a box of pantry donations
on the porch, and the Amazon person delivered 5 more as I sat on the porch to
write this story.
The boxes can wait until
morning.
Tonight - I will rest.
And think about the beauty
of a community coming together for kindness.
And burgers.
Don’t forget the burgers.
