Support From Joe

I have loved Trader Joe's for years.  I mean, loved...  Like, loved so much that in 2015 I embarked on a ridiculous project to review one Trader Joe's product EVERY.  SINGLE.  DAY. For a whole entire year!  And I did it!!!  That Trader Joe's review blog (like at bottom) now has well over a million hits.  Looks like I am not the only person who loves Trader Joe's.

I didn't think my love for TJ's could get any deeper, but recently it has.  A woman from our local TJ's contacted me and asked if there might be a way for her store to help out the Little Yellow Free Pantry!!!  As you can expect, I was so excited.  I do not really like asking for help, and I am not that great at marketing.  So the fact that THEY reached out to ME was amazing!

I met with that woman and the manager of the store.  We talked about the Little Yellow Free Pantry, my vision for it, and how it serves the community.  I explained that I really feel that everyone deserves good food (and a tasty treat sometimes, too).  We talked about how diverse the people who access the pantry are - families, people experiencing homelessness, immigrants...  It is open to everyone, no judgement.

And they GOT IT.  Like, they felt the same way I do (which is not surprising when I think about it, Trader Joe's as a corporation is so open minded and great about giving back to the communities they serve).  

So here we are!  They have agreed to do a trial of supporting the Little Free Yellow Pantry!  I am thrilled.  They donated supplies that are in high demand - pasta sauce, honey, soup, beans (Cowboy beans, I need to buy some of my own and try them, that's a product I haven't tasted yet), and canned chicken.  And BAGS so that I can put pantry visitor's shopping in sturdy bags.  

Color me grateful.  

Their support will not replace community donations for the pantry, obviously.  Kind and generous neighbors keep it stocked with all sorts of amazing food that visitors are so thankful for.  

If you are considering a donation to the Little Yellow Free Pantry, items we are currently low on (last week of September 2021) are:

• rice
• single servings of Mac and Cheese
• boxes of Mac and Cheese
• single servings of cereal
• boxes/bags of cereal
• single serving bottles of water
• cake mixes
• cake frosting
• canned vegetables
• single servings fruit cups
• bags of sugar
• Maseca (flour)
• salt
• pepper

If you are in the metro Washington DC area, pantry donations can be left in the plastic bin on our front porch.  If you are not local but would like to contribute, donations are always accepted.  Venmo is @susan-thompson-gaines and PayPal is @thompsongaines@msn.com. 

  

Thank you Trader Joe's.  And THANK YOU  community.  Knowing that visitors can stop by anytime day or night and get food that is nourishing and filling makes my heart happy.  It truly takes a village, and I am proud to be a part of this one.

Link to my Trader Joe's review blog:  Trader Joe's 365

10,000 Hits of KINDNESS!!!

A milestone was achieved this evening - this blog reached 10,000 hits!!!!

10,000 hits celebration time

 And yes, that is something to celebrate!  I am HAPPY that it has had that many views.  And yet...  I am also a little bit saddened by it.  Part of me says, "Only 10,000 hits.  Sigh."  I know that this feeling comes from the fact that my other blog, my silly little project where I review products from Trader Joe's (Trader Joe's 365), has SO MANY more views (over 225,000 - but yes, it is one year older than this blog).  I can't help but compare the two.  I mean, folks, that blog reviews stuff from a grocery store...  It is not exactly life changing.  Sure, it is fun to read about Trader Joe's, but (in my mind) it is not nearly as important as reading about KINDNESS.

I truly believe that if more people read about kindness, they would be more likely to ACT KIND.  To spread kindness in their communities.  Not only that - when you read about kindness, it is somehow on your radar as you go about your day and you are more "OPEN" to it, alert to it, seeking it out!

So yes - I am happy that this blog may have inspired 10,000 eyeballs (well, I guess that is actually around 20,000 eyeballs since the vast majority of readers probably have 2 of them).  But I wish it could do MORE.  I wish more people saw it, read it, were inspired by it.

THANK YOU for reading it.  If it inspires you, please share it!  Tell your friends - be they Facebook friends, Twitter pals, or even real life in the flesh human being friends!  You can "follow" the blog by email (there is an area on the right-hand side to do that if you like).  You can "like" Kindness Activist on Facebook (I make "kind photos" like the ones in this entry and put them on that FB page).  And/or you can follow @KindActivist on Twitter.  And you can bookmark the blog if you like:  http://kindnessactivist.blogspot.com/

But whatever you do - BE KIND.