It has been a while since I wrote an update on
how the proceeds from the Kindness Yard Sale were spent, so here we go!! More of the money got spread to MORE places,
which I love!!
·
$50.31 was used at Woodgrain Pizzeria
in Midway Airport (Chicago) to buy lunch for a beautiful family. My sisters and I were on a long layover and
Midway and I noticed a family (Mom, Dad, and 2 young daughters) walk by
us. The mom was wearing a scarf on her
head and look as if she was going through chemo. I stood near the cash register of the restaurant
as they were debating what to order, and after they decided what types of pizza
they would get, I heard the girls repeatedly say that they also wanted fruit. But when the dad ordered, it was just 2
pizzas, no fruit or drinks. When they
got up to where I was at the register I explained I would like to buy them
lunch from money raised at a Kindness Yard Sale. The mom teared up. “I thought you wanted fruit?” I asked the
girls. “Where is your fruit??”. I think the parents had not been able to
justify spending $5.50 each for cups of cut up fruit, but I encouraged the
girls to grab some (and they did). They
also were not getting anything to DRINK (to save money I presume), but with my
encouragement they added some bottled water to their order. I was so happy to be able to help them have a
tasty lunch while at the airport. And the
airport employee was so proud that I (actually – WE – everyone who donated
and shopped at the Kindness Yard Sale) was treating strangers that she gave me
the 10% Airport Employee Discount. 😊
·
$12.29 was spent buying groceries for
an older woman at a Dollar Tree store in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina (in
the Outer Banks). I was in Dollar Tree
trying to find some wigs for a silly project my sisters and I were working on,
and the woman I ended up treating felt bad for blocking a display with her cart
and apologized. I noticed then that
instead of buying “fun things” like I was, she was stocking up on food: spinach, pepper, beets, some chips, water,
etc. She was surprised and delighted
when I paid for her order, and the cashier “blessed me” (that blessing carries
on to YOU, of course, everyone who shopped and/or donated to the yard sale).
·
$39.71 was used for a Front Gate
Project at our house in Arlington, Virginia.
Front Gate Projects are things I do to bring joy and community to our
neighborhood. For this one, I hand
painted envelopes and cards. On the cards,
I wrote messages, “fortunes” of a sort. Each envelope had a “fortune” and a
gift inside. Then I hung them on the
front gate with pretty colored ribbons. Everyone
who happened upon them was invited to take one.
I loved it, and I think the neighbors did, too. The envelopes had candy and goodies in them,
and one special envelope contained a $20 bill. A young neighbor opened that one and came up
to the door to thank us (we were not home at the time but the Ring Doorbell captured
it and made me smile).
 |
| Signs for the project (a Spanish version hung nearby) |
 |
| The envelopes waiting to be discovered |
·
$35 was given to a woman in Omaha,
Nebraska for her to shop at a grocery store.
She posted this in the Omaha Buy Nothing group: “I'm wanting to make a big pot of soup but have
limited funds for the ingredients. Anyone have 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery
and a couple tablespoons of tomato paste they can part with?? Possibly any of
the other items?” As soon as I
saw the post I wanted to help her. I have tried to give away most of the yard sale proceeds without depending on "need" but this woman's wants were so little, and warm soup is such a healthy, seasonal delight. In messaging with her, it turned out her car had
been recently vandalized, so I think having a stranger reach out to assist her
was even more appreciated than it would normally be. She said, “Oh my gosh! You are too kind!!”.
 |
| Everyone deserves a warm bowl of soup |
 |
| Some of my family and I at the Buffett Cancer Center in Omaha - they have beautiful Chihuly artwork |
·
$14.99 was used to purchase a tote bag
for a woman in a Glioblastoma (GBM) group on Facebook. She posted to the group asking if it people
thought it would be “ok” for her to carry a tote bag about GBM if she was not the
patient, but a caregiver. Many
people, including myself, replied YES, she had every right to carry a
GBM bag! I messaged her and asked if I could
use some Kindness Yard Sale money to get the bag for her. She was so happy! When the tote bag came in the mail, she sent
me this photo of her holding it. And she
told me that she had already paid the kindness forward and bought the same bag
for another member of the GBM group who had expressed interest in one! That’s what I call an instant kindness
boomerang!
·
And finally, for this report, $25 was
given as a donation to The Warming Shelter in Sioux City, Iowa. It is an organization that runs a temporary
winter shelter in Iowa. The Warming
Shelter was chosen randomly after I posted this on my Facebook wall: “Let's
spread some kindness, shall we?? Comment below and say which non-profit you
would donate $25 to. At noon tomorrow I will RANDOMLY pick one of the charities
listed in the comments and donate $25 of the proceeds from the Kindness Yard
sale to it. No political or religious organizations will be considered. Where shall we donate?? Go!!
#KindnessActivist”
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| YES care givers/care partners can carry this bag! |
Over 50 people responded
with great suggestions for donations. I
hadn’t heard of many of the
organizations suggested, for example Bus Across
Nebraska, which transports visually
impaired people to a skiing event, Cure For
The Kids Foundation, Universal Hope Initiative,
and A Better Life Pet
Rescue. There are SO MANY worthwhile organizations
to donate to. I
hope that some of the
people who suggested organizations will be inspired to donate on their
own (and
YOU, I hope YOU will choose an organization that is meaningful to you and
donate
today!).
That’s it for now. $1555.76 was raised at the Kindness Yard Sale, of which $221.35 remains to be used (there are couple of other entries of funds that were
spent that I have not written about yet).
I am having such an amazing time
spreading this money around. I think I will
be sad when this project is finished, but thankful to have had the chance to do
it.
