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??

From Donuts to Fancy Gowns (and Everything in Between...)

This update on Kindness Activist funds not only includes how they have been used, but how even more came in.

First up – “It’s Friday night, and you know what that means…”.  My partner David and I have taken to picking up meals for community members when we are in the grocery store.  We get our groceries, then decide on what meal we will grab for someone else.  Sometimes it is dinner, sometimes breakfast for the next morning.  We gather what looks tasty to us, photograph it, then post about it in a local Facebook group, always starting with the line, “It’s Friday night (or Tuesday or Thursday…), and you know what that means…”.  We explain what food is on offer and that whoever receives the meal must run out to our car and meet us to pick it up.  We have had a great time with these deliveries and met some very sweet neighbors!! 

Dinner anyone?

Total Kindness Activist funds spent on these meals since the last report:  $117.23

 

Next – a donation.  The other day as I was walking from the pantry back into the house, a car honked at me.  This is not uncommon – we live on a very busy street and I am outside a lot.  I am quite good at “interpreting” honks!  There is the “go you idiot - the light is green!” honk.  The “you just turned right in front of me and I almost hit you!” honk.  And the “hi Susan!” honk.   This was a “hi Susan” honk.  I turned and waved (though honestly did not know who I was waving at…).  As I turned back to walk inside, I heard another honk.  This seemed to be a “come over here please” honk.  And sure enough, when I looked, the woman who had honked to say hello had pulled over, rolled down her window, and was waving at me to come to her car.

She had a beautiful smile and a warm welcome.  She said that she drives by our home often and has always hoped to catch me outside.  She appreciates the projects and work that happens at the Big Yellow House and was eager to pitch in and be a part of it.  She told me that her name was Mary and handed me a $20 bill.  Isn’t that sweet??

Total Kindness Activist funds received from a stranger who caught a Kindness ripple:  $20

And now, a story of new beginnings.  I got this message from a neighbor: “I was wondering if you might be able to check something for me.  One of the Afghans I am helping just got a job as a security guard, and they told him that he needs a black coat/jacket.  Would you have anything that might fit the description in a men’s medium?  Thanks so much!”.

Well, I think that that situation calls for a NEW COAT, don’t you?  A person who arrived in this country not long ago, with a brand new job, making a fresh start?  Yes, that man needed a NEW COAT!  The woman who reached out to me and I checked out Amazon and found a coat that looked perfect.  And because of the amazing Amazon Prime, the coat arrived quickly.  Project Warmth was in high gear at the time, so we had a great pair of brand new gloves and new warm socks to round out the gift.  The person who contacted me said that the coat recipient loves America, especially now that he has a job!

Total Kindness Activist funds spent:  $51.98

Here’s a tale of another donation.  A family that lives near us is barely scraping by.  It is a multi-generational household that has a hard time putting food on the table.  They sometimes check the pantry to see if there is anything that they would like to eat.  Well, the other day one of the family members saw me outside and said, “Miss Susan, I feel drawn in my heart to make a contribution”.  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a $5 bill.  “No, no, you don’t need to do that,” I said, knowing that they don’t have $5 to spare.  But he insisted.  He wanted to give back. 

That happens often at the Little Yellow Free Pantry.  Guests who come to get items sometimes also donate items.  Often, they will bring canned goods to the pantry that they received at the local food bank.  I think they get their allocation of food from the food bank, sort it out and decide what they need/want, and donate the rest of it to the LYFP so that others can eat.  Isn’t that beautiful?  So, I accepted the man’s $5 donation.  Not only will it fund some kindness, it also gave him a sense of self-worth that had to feel good.

Total Kindness Activist funds received from a neighbor who uses the LYFP:  $5

And speaking of the Little Yellow Free Pantry…  I was outside filling it up the other day as the local middle school kids were walking by on their way home.  One young man who I did not know stopped to say hello.  I asked him if he wanted anything, and he said, “You have a lot of food.  Can you donate some canned goods?”.  “Oh!  Are you collecting food?” I asked.  “Yes, for the homeless,” he explained.  I asked if it was a project for his Boy Scout troop and he said that no, it was for the middle school. 

I was so impressed that this boy was brave enough to stop and ask!  And of course, this is a perfect project to use Kindness Activist funds on.  “Sure!” I told him.  “I will order some canned goods for you.  What would you like me to donate?”.  That one stumped him…  He wasn’t sure.  “Well, people who are homeless like to eat the same things you like to eat!” I explained.  In the end, we decided on a vegetable, some soup, and a fruit.  I had him write down his name and number so that I could text him when the food arrived, but I couldn’t quite read the writing and was not sure the text I sent was delivered.  So, today we dropped the canned goods off at the school’s office.  The secretary could not read the writing, either, but I hope they figure out who the child was so that he can get credit for being so brave and asking!

Total Kindness Activist funds spent:  $58.43

One more story about food pantries…  A friend who works at a local Title 1 elementary school contacted me.  Title 1 schools in the US serve low income students.  The friend’s message said, “Hi – the local bank delivers food every month for a food pantry at our school.  I just found out they can’t provide it by our pantry date this month”.  She explained that 120 families at the school rely on that pantry, and if she could raise funds, some staff would go to a store where they could stretch the dollars and do their best to ensure those people had food. 

Kindness Activist donated $200, and she was able to double that with other donations.  The following week we received a box of beautiful donated produce and that was also given to the school to share with their families.  Because, you know, everyone deserves good food.

Total Kindness Activist funds spent:  $200

Ok, final story for this report!  A little neighbor girl has become a model -taking classes and participating in fashion shows.  This has to be great for her self-esteem, but it is tough on her mamma’s pocketbook!!  And of course, mamma has other financial obligations, too…

So, Kindness Activist treated the girl to a dress of her choosing for one of her events.  When the girl put it on, she told her mom that she felt “like Cinderella, and Miss Susan (Kindness Activist) is my Fairy Godmother”.  Mom has promised to share the gown with another model when it no longer fits her daughter, so that the Kindness ripple can spread even further.

Total Kindness Activist funds spent:  $52.99

 

 

Share-In Kindness

We met Sharon Mahoney, a performer who has entertained audiences world wide, in a little restaurant in Winnipeg, Canada.  She (like us) was in town for the Winnipeg Fringe Festival.  

Sharon performing

We were talking with her and eating when a woman walked in and asked the restaurant staff for a key to the washroom.  They told her that the bathrooms were for customers only.

It was an awkward moment…  I think we were the only CUSTOMERS in the place, and we had heard the refusal.  The woman didn’t look like she had enough money to BE a customer, so plopping down money just to pee wasn’t going to happen.

She approached us and said, “He won’t let me use the washroom.  I really need to go to the bathroom.  And I am hungry…”.  She was not BEGGING, she was not really even ASKING for money.  But she was sad, and she was hungry, and she needed to use the bathroom.

So Sharon did something about it.  She said, “If you are hungry, I will buy you something to eat!”.  And up the 2 of them went to the counter.  She let the woman pick out whatever she wanted and Sharon paid.  And now the woman was a CUSTOMER, she also got restroom rights.

Sharon stepping up and being KIND - buying a stranger's meal

I sat and smiled.  Why hadn’t I pulled out my wallet??  And why did Sharon instinctively know that buying the woman food, ensuring she could use the bathroom, was the kind, moral, and RIGHT thing to do???

So after the woman used the washroom, got her food, and left, I asked Sharon about it.  She explained that she can’t bear to see people hungry.  That is a philosophy I can so get behind – FOOD should be a human right.  It is a NEED – clean water and food should be available for everyone.  She told me that she would much rather buy someone food than hand them money, and that it is not the first time she had done that (which was obvious to me by the graceful way she did it, allowing the woman to totally keep her dignity).

Actual sign at the restaurant - perfect for this situation, eh??

Sharon also told me that she can relate to having to go to the bathroom!  And seriously, who can’t???  Seeing that woman not be able to get into a public bathroom made me stop and examine my privilege – I mean, I am a clean, white woman, I can pretty much just pop into any Starbucks or McDonald’s and use a bathroom without being questioned.  And if it is locked and for customers only, I have some money in my pocket to buy a soda and get the bathroom key.  But many people are not as fortunate as me.

LOVE this shot of Sharon performing!  (photo credit Cameron Knowlton Photography) 

I also want to point out here – it is not like Sharon is a multi-millionaire.  She is a performer for heaven’s sake J .  She gave of herself, her hard earned money, to buy that woman dinner. 

Sharon – thanks for reminding me to keep my eyes open to others in need and showing me a classy, graceful way to help out.  You made a big difference in that woman’s day, and I hope your kindness inspires others to help, too!

GO SEE HER SHOW!!!!!!

If you are in Winnipeg, please be sure to check out Sharon’s solo show, “The Lion, the Bitch, and the Wardrobe”.  She has been working super hard to promote it and get people to come, and I know she would love to see you in the audience! Only two more chances to catch her amazing show – July 22 at 9:00 pm and July 24 at 1:45 pm.   Link to tickets here:  The Lion, the Bitch, and the Wardrobe tickets

And check out her website at sharonmahoney.com

If you see kindness in action or know of a Kindness Activist, please email me at kindnessactivist@gmail.com and tell me!  And be sure to follow Kindness Activist on Twitter.