It's (fill in the blank) Night, And You Know What The Means...

At Kindness Activist, we are always looking for new ways to spread kindness.

But we also have some tried and true kind acts that we do over and over.  We repeat them, because they are fun and the recipients love them so much.

One of our common acts of kindness is buying a meal for strangers.

No, not a meal in a restaurant.

But a meal at a GROCERY STORE!

Breakfast is served!

How it works:

My partner David and I love to grocery shop.  In fact, we went to a grocery store on our very first date decades ago!!  Because we enjoy it, we find ourselves at the grocery often.  And sometimes when we are there, if we have time and energy, and put together a meal for a stranger!

Fruit theme!

We choose which meal we are aiming for – breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  Then we get all of the necessary ingredients to make it!

Dinner is on the house!

If it is a breakfast, it might have coffee, milk, cereal, orange juice, eggs, bacon, bagels…

Hearty breakfast ready for delivery

If it is lunch, it might have salad, soup, fruit…

More of a dinner than a lunch, but comes with dessert!

And if it is dinner, we might put together a protein, vegetable, starch, and dessert.

This dinner came complete with sparkling lemonade

Sometimes we do “theme” shops – like all pink and red things for Valentines, or a bag full of SNACKS. 

St. Patrick's Day theme

Wishing you a very Aldi Christmas

It is so fun!

Someone's having hashbrowns for breakfast!

We then take a photo of the items.  Ideally, we take a picture of David HOLDING everything.  One, because it is fun.  And two, because it is funny!!  You can often find us in the aisle at Trader Joe’s, David trying to balance way too much and me snapping a picture.

See?  It's much more fun when David is in the photo...

I then post the photo on our local Buy Nothing group.  I list out everything that is in the offer and explain that we will drop it off to the person chosen the same day.  I explain that the food is not “needs based”, it is “kindness” or “magic” based, so anyone can get it.  (Note:  we do a LOT of needs based food giveaways 24/7 in the Little Yellow Free Pantry, so these special grocery runs can go to anyone!)  I also explain that we prefer to give the food to someone who has not received one of these deliveries from Kindness Activist before.

Neither of us understand the appeal of pumpkin spice season at Trader Joe's,
but we do not let our opinion yuck someone else's yum.

We then finish our shopping, check out, load up the car, and see who has commented on the post.  We choose a recipient, get their address, and bring it to them on our way home from the store.  It is so fun!

This breakfast looks really tasty to me

We have given these special meals to: tired mothers of toddlers, people who are jet lagged from just returning from a trip and haven’t had time to go to the store yet, teachers on limited budgets, people who simply love the food we have chosen, and lots, lots more.  We do these giveaways about twice a month (so often, in fact, that my phone can auto-type the posts, which always start with, “It’s (fill in the blank) evening, and you know what that means...”.

Ahh, that time Aldi had a whole POT ROAST kit!

These small acts of kindness have also allowed us to meet lots of people in the community, and see new neighborhoods.  See, the kindness is good not only for the recipients, but the givers, too!  And delivering these meals also introduces lots of new people to Kindness Activist!

Anyone hungry for a little SNACK?

We have been doing these special grocery meals for years now and I doubt we will stop any time soon.  Our Buy Nothing group has over 4,600 members, many of which are still strangers to us!  But bit by bit, meal by meal, we are meeting more and more of them.

Cheerios - they're what's for breakfast!  
(Along with lots of other tasty things.)

Each meal averages $26.00 (we are savvy shoppers).

No, I am not running out of photos yet.  Like I said,
this is an oldie but a goodie act of kindness!!

That’s not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things.

Another BIG breakfast!

But just the idea that someone else went to the trouble of planning a meal for you, and took time to deliver it.  Well, that makes these extra special.

Are you hungry yet??

Counting Down to Kindness

When you do a kind act, you have no idea the effect it has on others.

And it can be something so simple, so quick, so inexpensive.  Helping someone get something off a high shelf at the grocery store.  Complimenting someone's winter hat.  Pitching in $5 to help someone who doesn't have quite enough to pay for their purchase.

Since beginning Kindness Activist years ago, spreading kindness has become so ingrained in my life that sometimes I forget to pause and take note of it.  It is just part of everyday life around here.  And that's when I am thankful that something happens to remind me: stop.  Breathe.  Look.  FEEL.  Feel the effect that putting kindness into the world has.  Let that warmth resonate.  Let it give you energy to keep going.

I got one last night - a gentle reminder.  I didn't realize it, but I needed it.  Here's what happened.

Kindness Activist purchased 17 advent calendars at Trader Joe's when they first came out late October.  I like advent calendars - I don't remember doing them growing up, but as an adult, I like the repetition and certainty of them.  Counting down, one by one.  Calming.  And also exciting - getting closer and closer to the anticipated date.

If you shop at Trader Joe's, you know these calendars are not expensive.  They are a loss-leader for the store to get people in (like me!) who will pile many more items in their cart before they check-out.  

Yesterday was December 1st - the beginning of advent calendar season.  We had a super busy day and honestly, had forgotten to bring the box of calendars back to our home from storage.  Late in the afternoon we remembered, and David ran over to pick them up.

I posted in the neighborhood group - 17 advent calendars up for grabs!  Come get them - one per child per household.  Must come tonight.

People commented immediately, very excited to score the treats.  One comment stood out.  Someone wrote:  "We have two kids - this would make their month/year.  Can pick up right away since I'm just down the street".  I replied that I would hold 2 for them, and before long the father knocked on our door.  

I showed him the calendars and had him choose which 2 were best for his kids.  He took them with such care and made eye contact with me.  "Thank you.  Thank you so much.  My kids will be so happy.  I lost my job a few months ago...  We've already told the kids that Christmas will be lean this year.  So, you can't understand how thankful I am for these calendars."

Such a simple gesture - pick up cheap advent calendars and share the joy.

But it is impossible to predict what an effect it would have.  

To me - it was an advent calendar.  To that family - it was a small piece of normalcy.  A glimmer of hope.  An unexpected bit of magic.

Thank you for the reminder, sir.  It gave me the fuel I need to get through this week.  

I will continue the mission - I will spread kindness.  And I will hold your family in my heart and do all I can to make your holiday season a happy one.

Kindness Activist funds spent - $23.25 ($1.37 per calendar)

Reminder of the importance of spreading kindness - priceless

The Big Red Box of Cookies

It is such an honor to be entrusted with the Kindness Activist funds.  When we see a way to use some of them to spread kindness, well, it makes my heart sing.

Tonight we spied a golden opportunity.  We were at Trader Joe’s doing some grocery shopping.  As we were checking out, I spied a woman in line with a small hand-held basket of groceries.  She was managing that with one hand, while her other hand carried what I consider to be a holiday tradition – the big red tin of cookies.

If you shop at Trader Joe’s, you know the one.  It’s far too big for a family of 2 to get through, but we buy one every year.  I mean, they are tasty! 

I whispered to David, “Look, she is getting the cookies!  Let’s buy her groceries,”.  So, we stuck around a bit until she was called to an open register. 

I walked up and greeted her.  “Hi!  I see you are buying one of our favorite items, those cookies!”.  We exchanged a smile.  “I run an organization that spreads kindness.  We would like to pay for your groceries tonight if you don’t mind,” I said.

The look on her face!  A moment where she was most certainly thinking, “Did I hear what I think I just heard??” and then a quiet question, “But, why???”.  “Because!” I explained, “We like to spread kindness!”.

So, while the cashier rang up her order, we talked all things Trader Joe’s.  she was stocking up on the same frozen Indian meals I like to eat for lunches.  She had a bread we have never tried and explained which cheese I should get to put on it.

And when all was rung up, I put in the credit card.  She was so very thankful and grateful.  From the looks of what she was buying, I am guessing she lives alone.  She was a bit older than me – maybe in her late 60s.  All of her items fit snugly into one brown paper bag. 

She thanked me again, then off she went into the night, her smile never leaving her face.  I am hoping that she went home, ate some of the tasty bread with cheese, and will break open the gorgeous red tin of cookies before bed time.  Maybe she will eat cookies and drink tea… 

I know that when she does, she will smile again and remember how good the kindness of strangers feels.

Kindness Activist Funds spent:  $47.92

 

 

Flowers of Kindness

Whenever I give talks about Kindness Activist, people ask how it all started.

Well, it started as a bit of an experiment.  I was at a low point in my life, and decided to purposefully look for kindness.  I guess I wanted to make sure it still existed in the world, I don’t know.

I looked.  I saw it.  It made me happy.  I was hooked.

Fast forward years later. 

I still look for it.  And I still have periods where I am too sad, too busy, too inattentive to find it.

But now I know.  I know that if I stop.  Take a deep breath.  Open not only my eyes, but my heart, I will see it.  Because it is everywhere.  This I believe.

And I also now know the value of SPREADING the kindness.  And I am continually grateful that Kindness Activist allows me the joy of doing just that.

So here is a quick story of one of today’s kindnesses.  I was in Trader Joe’s, ironically ordering some things for another act of kindness that is happening next week.  I was standing at the customer service counter placing my order when two women rushed up, obviously very upset.

“A woman just stole my wallet right out of my purse!!  Do you have video cameras in your aisles???” they asked loudly and angrily.

The Trader Joe’s employee assured them that there were cameras, but they would need to file a police report and have a case number to access the footage.  The women, shaken, left the store.

I finished my order.  Bought a few things.  Shopped in the store next door.  But I kept thinking about the woman whose wallet was stolen.  What a horrible thing to have happen.

I took another stroll around the aisles of Trader Joe’s to see if the women were still there but I didn’t see them.  I headed to my car just as a police cruiser pulled up.  “Ah ha,” I thought, “Maybe the women are still here and have been waiting on the cops so they can file a report.”

Sure enough that was the case.  The officers started filling out the paperwork as the women stood by their car.

So, I went back into the grocery store and picked out the brightest, prettiest bouquet I could find.  I purchased it, then went outside to where the officer was finishing up the report. 

 

“Excuse me,” I said as I approached.  “I was at customer service and heard what happened to you.  I am really sorry – how awful.  I wanted to get you these to brighten your day.  I hope the rest of your weekend is better,” and I handed her the flowers.

Her whole demeanor changed.  The tension in her face melted.  She looked me in the eyes and thanked me.  “May I hug you??” she asked.  Of course!

So, two women stood in the parking lot of a grocery store and hugged, as a police officer in a bulletproof vest looked on.

“Thank you.  Oh, thank you,” she said.  “It could have been so much worse.  At least no one was hurt”. 

 

And just like that, she was reminded that even when things are really bleak, there is kindness. 

And it was nothing fancy, nothing expensive.  More than the flowers, it was the fact that someone noticed and cared.

Kindness is all around you, I promise.  So are opportunities for YOU to be kind. 

You just have to keep your eyes (and your heart) open to see them.

Kindness Activist funds spent:  $10.59

Special Delivery - YOUR DINNER! (Kindness Activist Funds Update)

Ready for another report on how some Kindness Activist funds have been used??  Let’s do it!!

 

One thing we have been doing lately is treating people to dinner deliveries!  It’s been really fun. 

 

The idea started one evening when we had to go out after work and do something, even though it was cold and really dark.  I didn’t want to go out, but we had a commitment that we had to follow through on.  Well, I figured it I wasn’t in the mood to go out, there were likely others in the same position…  And since we were out anyway, we might as well fill some dinner orders!!

 

So, I posted in a neighborhood Facebook group that we would pick up dinner for someone and drop it off to them.  I gave a choice of some fast food restaurants in the neighborhood (Wendy’s, McDonald’s, and Burger King).  And I specified that we were not necessarily going to pick the first person who responded (because, you know how it goes, some people are fortunate enough (or addicted enough…) to be on their phone 24/7, and they respond first to everything!!

 

For two people who eat fast food only a handful of times a year, we sure have bought a lot of it lately!

The first time we did this we bought and delivered meals to a single mom and her 2 kids and boy oh boy, were they excited!!  The second time we delivered meals to a mom of one who was also babysitting a niece, and to another woman.  And tonight we made 3 deliveries – a woman who just had hand surgery and her husband, a family of 4, and a woman who was in the mood for fast food!  We did all of the orders one at a time tonight (we only have 2 cup holders in the car and we don’t want to spill…).  By the third time thru the Wendy’s drive-thru the man sort of recognized us 😊 .

 

I share this idea with you because it is so easy and it has brought so many people such joy!  It is a fun use of Kindness Activist funds.  It nourishes people and makes them happy.  And hey, we had to be out in the cold anyway!!

 

Total Kindness Activist funds spent on getting and delivering meals to people:  $168.73 (fast food has really gotten expensive!)

 

Yesterday I saw this message posted in a different Facebook group: “Hi neighbors who would like to support our neighborhood Title I school, Hoffman Boston elementary.  Our school and school community does not have the resources to pay for the teachers to have dinner today, parent/teacher conference day. Teachers will not have time to pick up dinner themselves and will be working around 12 hours today (after teaching our children all morning and early afternoon).

If you would like to contribute, consider bringing a dish by between 3-4 PM to the school or alternatively (and preferred) you can use the link below to donate via Pay Pal or Venmo and your donation will be used to support the school and with dinner tonight.”

 

Well, I have had a hard week at work, so making a dish to deliver was not in the cards.  But thankfully, because of amazing donors of items and shoppers at the Kindness Yard Sale and other donations that have come in, I was able to contribute money to help buy dinners for teachers.  Because let’s be honest here – teachers have some of the hardest jobs on the planet. Tiny humans are entrusted to them, and not only do they have to ensure those humans are not injured, they have to TEACH THEM THINGS, HARD THINGS!!  And teachers in America do not get paid enough for the work that they do. 

 

So yeah, donating to this meal for teachers was a no-brainer.  (And I heard today that enough food and funds were collected for all teachers to eat, and some even got seconds!)

 

Total Kindness Activist funds spent on pitching in to help ensure that teachers got a good meal:  $125

 

Sticking with the food theme – we paid for another stranger’s groceries at the Trader Joe’s check-out.  This is such a fun way to surprise someone!  The store was really crowded, so I just stayed at the register stand after we paid for ours (pretending to play with our bags or something…) until the cashier finished ringing up the woman behind us.  “May I pay??” I asked.  “Ummm, what?  Really???  Umm, sure!!” she replied. 

 

Her smile lit up the store, and she was still muttering to herself about the magic of it all as she wheeled her cart out into the parking lot.

Random Trader Joe's photo from what feels like another lifetime - the year I reviewed one Trader Joe's product every single day of the year and visited TJs stores all around the country

Total Kindness Activist funds spent paying for a stranger’s groceries:  $27.04

 

Danyi, a woman in our community is an amazing artist.  But she is a refugee and does not have the means to buy art supplies.  What I love about her work is that she turns anything (and everything) into art!!  She makes art out of old lightbulbs!  Art out of cardboard!  Art out of bubble wrap!  Art out of lampshades!  Art out of rocks!! 

 

And while she can and does find objects like that on the side of the road or in garbage cans, the ink and paint she needs to transform them must be purchased.  And that takes money.

 

Recently she told me that she would really like some nice INK to paint with.  She had secured some silk somewhere, and she needed good quality ink to turn it into art. 

A recent creation by Danyi, painted on part of a box

 

Because of the privilege of being the caretaker of the Kindness Activist funds, I could grant that wish!  Just a few clicks and a couple of days later, 2 jars of nice ink arrived and were gifted to her.  I can’t wait to see how the silk pieces turn out!

 

Another piece by Danyi painted on a box

Total Kindness Activist funds spent on ink for an artist:  $38.26

  

Now for the last accounting story for today.  A member of our community recently asked if anyone had any adult coloring books.  She was collecting them to give to someone who would be in the hospital a while. 

 

I reached out to see if there were other things that might be needed, and learned that the requester is a nurse in a prepartum care unit at a local hospital.  Here’s what she told me, “I am a labor and delivery nurse at VHC, I specifically take care of our antepartum patients who are high risk pregnant patients who can stay anywhere from a few days to weeks and months on our unit in this hospital.  So, this would be for a mom who we are keeping pregnant for many weeks.  I asked this mom yesterday what she would like to do to stay busy and she said she enjoys coloring. I thought we had some coloring books on the unit but found none, so thought maybe our community might have some I could use on the unit/to give to this patient.”

 

Once again, see how easy and fun it is to find ways to spread kindness???  I went to the store $5 Below because I knew they usually have good coloring books.  I stocked up on coloring books and a lot more – candies (after confirming it was ok for the mom to eat sugar), coloring pencils and pens, a journal, and lots of other goodies.  Then, I wrapped them all individually (I figured if this mamma was stuck alone in the hospital, maybe opening some gifts would brighten up her day!!).

 

But I got to thinking – imagine how hard those nurses work…  Like teaching, nursing is a tough profession and, if I may be so blunt, does not get the respect that it deserves.  So, I grabbed Starbucks gift cards for the nurses in the unit and wrapped each with a pretty ribbon and a little note thanking them for their hard work. 

 

Total Kindness Activist funds spent on gifts for a pregnant mom and nurses on the unit:  $172.67

 

That’s it for tonight’s stories.  I will update on how the funds are being used again soon.  In the meantime, I hope we run into each other in the wild!!  Maybe YOU will get surprised with free groceries next time you go shopping…  Or hey, if these examples of spreading kindness have inspired YOU (or as I like to say, have made a kindness ripple…) then perhaps YOU will go out into the world and spread some kindness soon!!  I would love to hear about it if you do!  Please email me stories of how you are spreading kindness at:  KindnessActivist@gmail.com  .  Thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2022 Kindness Yard Sale TOTAL!!

There are fund raisers, and there are FUND RAISERS.

And the 2022 Kindness Yard Sale was a FUND RAISER!

And now that the chaos of the sale is (mostly) over, we took tonight to celebrate. We thanked many of the amazing people who have helped out with Kindness Activist projects – not only the yard sale, but many other things, too.  We held a thank you party at Acme, our local pie shop run by the very sweet Sol Schott.  The restaurant was closed so it was just US – eating pie, chatting, laughing, playing pinball, writing down ideas on how to spread kindness using the funds we just raised, and getting “gifts” of leftover items from the yard sale (anyone need a car cell phone charger from 1992???). 

We also had the big reveal – the announcement of how much was raised at the Kindness Yard Sale, including the online auction and the in-person auction.  So many people have been asking, “How much did we raise???”, and it seemed fitting to announce it at a gathering of so many people who rolled up their sleeves and made the work successful.

I am pleased and proud to announce that the 2022 Kindness Yard Sale (and auctions) raised a total of $27,871!!!!!  That is so, so much more than I could’ve ever imagined – we more than doubled the total from 2021!

The assistants help out with the BIG REVEAL!

That money will go such a very long way in spreading kindness!  I have many, many ideas swirling around in my head on how we can start kindness ripples, and I can’t wait to read the ideas people at the event wrote down tonight.  

A few more photos from the thank you party:

                                                     

Here is how we have already begun spreading kindness with this year’s funds:

We actually started using the 2022 funds before the sale was even over!!  A group of high school students in Wakefield t-shirts were looking around the sale.  They chose some items, and when they came up to purchase them, I asked, “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be out fund raising for your music program today??? (someone had told me that was their day to ask the community to donate)”.  OOPS – they got caught shopping!  But all was well – we rang the cowbell, turned on the gold microphone, people cheered, and Kindness Activist made a $25 donation to the Wakefield Music Program! 

Total spent:  $25 

Another related to the Kindness Yard Sale; my friend Whitney was volunteering in the in-person auction area at the sale.  One of the items up for auction was a tv that had been donated.  It was nice – had a large screen – but was not a “smart” tv.  Some people signed up to bid on it, including a man that Whitney told me was really nice.  She had talked to him and his family and she said they were super sweet and seemed very deserving of a television (they currently didn’t have one).  Well, he didn’t win the tv in the auction.  But that was a-ok, because we used Kindness Activist funds to get him a brand new smart tv!!  He was very surprised and thankful when he came over to pick it up.

 

A brand new smart TV!

Total spent:  $321.59

We were at Trader Joe’s at closing time recently and decided to treat someone in line to their groceries.  I bought a $50 gift card and then perused the line to pick a lucky person to give it to.  As I was wondering who to choose, a woman in line spoke to me about something I was purchasing.  She was chatty and nice, and that made it easy to know who to surprise with the gift card!!  It was also fun that the groceries she had in her cart looked like they would total right around $50.  She couldn’t believe what had happened to her!  As we left I saw her telling an employee about her good fortune 😊 .

A gift card for one lucky shopper!

Total spent:  $50

And finally for this report, FLOWERS.  A neighbor has been studying to be a nurse and it came time for her to take the big exam.  She was understandably nervous for the test and studied a lot the month before.  So, we used $80 of Kindness Activist funds to get her a huge bouquet of gorgeous flowers to wish her well. 

 

Total spent:  $80

I owe a huge, huge thank you to so many people.  Thank you to all of you who:

Donated items

Sorted items

Hung clothing

Organized storage units

Hauled from storage to sale

Got us a free storage unit

Put up a whole auction website

Made signs

Set up sale

Sold lemonade

Worked at sale

Shopped at sale

Tore down sale

Sorted empty hangers

Broke down boxes

Hauled trash

Fed us

Supported us – kept me from pulling all of my hair out

Took great photos

Donated food for the Little Yellow Free Pantry

Organized storage for the Little Yellow Free Pantry

Filled the pantry when we were out of town

Grew plants

Sold plants

Suggested ideas for kindness

Brought us wine

Supported me when internet bullies were being mean

Entertained with jokes and magic tricks

Sent encouraging messages

Wrapped tons of Christmas gifts

Cleaned our porches

Hauled things to Goodwill, Little Free Libraries, and other places

Interpreted

Made phone calls for me to people who I couldn’t communicate with

Did grocery runs for special requests that came into the pantry

Helped decide the value of items (thanks to Google)

Came to vigils

Danced on corners

Voted in the daily polls

Helped Kindness Activist get more media attention

Suggested great ideas

And I am sorry to anyone who worked long and hard volunteering but got missed on the invite list for the thank you party tonight.  The pie shop is small – we might need a bigger venue for the 2023 thank you event!

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