Back To School Kindness

Hot date Saturday night here!  We went to Walmart for some BACK-TO-SCHOOL SHOPPING!! 

But not for us, for strangers.  School in this area starts on Monday.  Would there be any last-minute shoppers???  You bet there were! 

We started the adventure by strolling around the school supplies aisle to see if there was anyone we could treat.  The parameters were simple:  the student should be present, and the recipients should be diverse.   I fished my wish!!  There were lots of shoppers and they were indeed diverse.  We treated people who were Hispanic, African American, Nepalese, white, and Jamaican.

Anyone need a new backpack?

We ended up with 8 separate orders at the cash registers, but most orders were for multiple students.  We had:  an adorable kindergarten girl with beautiful braids, brothers who looked like twins but weren’t going into 1^st and 2^nd grades, a girl going into her senior year, a little girl going into 1^st grade who talked so quietly I could barely hear her, a 2^nd grade teacher, a girl going into 9^th grade, and more!  It was so fun!

Here are some stats of what was purchased:

-         9 boxes of crayons in various forms

-         6 backpacks

-         52 composition books

-         10 packs of filler paper

And lunch boxes and water bottles and pencils (oh looooads of pencils!) and erasers and highlighters and scissors and Kleenex and Clorox wipes and rules and staples and pencil cases (including several kids who picked my favorite one with pop-its on it!) and pens and mechanical pencils and Elmer’s glue and glue sticks (including the shy girl who picked the scented glue sticks that I recommended, cuz, duh, SCENTED!!!), and 3 ring binder and plastic folders and spiral notebooks and markers (including the girl who got a great pack of Sharpies that I secretly coveted) and post-it notes and dividers and a badge holder and dry erase markers and more and more and more until our eyes were popping out of our heads!!  It was brilliantly fun!

I have always loved school supplies.  They are so shiny and bright when they are brand new.  They practically scream new possibilities!  So, it was an honor to be able to treat so many kids to what they need to start the year off right. 

Sometimes when we do a Kindness Activist act, people are hesitant to accept the gift and say no.  But on this adventure not a single person rejected the gift of school supplies!  The parents were soooo appreciative, too.  One mother had been struggling to make ends meet due to a shoulder injury keeping her off work.  One dad had just had Covid and relocated his family.  Two moms cried at the check-out.  One mom’s eyes got so big when I said, “OK, those are the supplies on the list.  Now, does he need a backpack?  A lunch bag??”.  Mom gently nodded her head yes, and off her son and I went to choose the ones he wanted.

As I was ringing up one woman’s cart (the only person who did not have a child with them), I asked what grade her child would be in.  She said, “Oh, my kids are in college…  But I am a 2^nd grade teacher…”.  Well then, kids who show up to that classroom without the needed supplies will have a stash to choose from!

All in all, we rang out 8 separate orders (but served many more than 8 students as most orders were for more than one child).  We spent an average of $121.09 on each order.  School supplies are not cheap!  We were thanked repeatedly, God blessed often, given handshakes, and even hugs.  One delighted recipient asked hopefully, “Will you be here again next year??”.

No ma’am, we probably won’t be in this same store for back-to-school shopping next year.  But I can promise you that we will be somewhere, spreading kindness and then sharing the stories of it.  So be on the look-out! 

School shopping is exhausting!

Total Kindness Activist funds spent -  $1089.79

P.S. – also purchased for students on this shopping trip but not directly school supply related:  two packs of underwear and one small Anna from Frozen doll 😊

Kindness During Covid (Kindness Yard Sale update!)

It is easy to get down these days.  Watching the news for any length of time means confronting the sad statistics of how many deaths have happened due to Covid-19, how much longer we are all going to be social distancing and/or stuck in our homes, and that a vaccine is a ways off.

So, instead of focusing on the sadness this evening, I am going to focus on KINDNESS.  Namely, how more funds from the 1st Kindness Yard Sale were used!  We raised a total of $1905.76 from the yard sale last summer (items were donated, shoppers paid whatever they wanted to with the understanding that every penny raised would be used for kindness) and from donations that came in after the sale.  I have given updates throughout the year on where all of the money has gone because I am want to make sure it is completely transparent, well accounted for, and that YOU read about the kind actions and get inspired to do some of your own!! 

So - here is the latest report:

·         $125 was used to buy $5 Starbucks gift cards for 25 people working on the front lines:  TRADER JOE’S EMPLOYEES!  Grocery store employees have had to work so hard during this pandemic to keep the shelves stocked, and the ones at our local Trader Joe’s do it with a smile (that you can’t see due to their masks…).  One afternoon in April I called to ask how many employees were working.  On the way to do our shopping, we bought the gift cards.  And before shopping I dropped them off in a bag with a thank you card at the customer service desk.  It was very fun!!  Lots of employees came and found us while we shopped to thank us for the gifts.  One employee even said the kind gesture had made her cry.  These are the awesome little kindnesses that can happen because of the yard sale!!

Ready to DELIVER GIFT CARDS and do a huge shopping trip!

·         $34.20 was used to help a homeless man get a fresh start living on his own.  My friend Kristi works at a homeless shelter and I was honored to volunteer there one night for their annual Christmas gift giveaway.  As we talked, she explained that as the people get housed, they should get a basket of goodies to help them begin their new lives.  But the shelter had run out of the supplies, so people getting housed were no longer getting them.  Well, I couldn’t imagine getting a brand new start in life and having NOTHING but the clothes are your back.  How successful can living on your own be if you have nothing – no plates, cups, salt, pepper, silverware, laundry detergent…  So, I went to a cheap store and filled up a cart with things I imagined would be helpful.  It was a very fun shopping trip!!!  I delivered the basket to Kristi, who later reported she had given it to a client and they were very happy to have the gifts.  Fingers crossed that they are doing well in their new home.

·         $36.15 was used to mail 2 packages.  I saw a woman in a military uniform in the Post Office parking as I was walking in.  She had 2 boxes that she was arranging.  After I paid for my items, I stepped aside (social distancing) and waited for her to tape up her boxes and have her turn.  As she was almost finished, I asked if I could use Kindness funds to pay for her shipping.  I couldn’t see her expression since we were both wearing masks, but her eyes glowed and she was very happy.  At first she thought it was too much, but as I paid she thanked me very much and said that her sister and the other recipient of the gifts she was mailing would be VERY HAPPY.  I took the opportunity to THANK HER FOR HER SERVICE.

·         $20 was used to support the My Job Bags campaign, which I read about on Facebook.  Here is the site’s description of the amazing project: “While the Coronavirus pandemic has closed schools in Arlington, children across the county continue to learn from home. Unfortunately, not all families are able to provide their children with the resources that they would have in a classroom setting. That's why we've established the My Job Bags campaign. A child's 'job' is to imagine, create, learn and play. We're working to assemble bags for children in need and to provide them with supplies to learn and be creative while at home. We're accepting monetary donations as well as donations of the supplies below that will be included in the bags. All money collected will be used to purchase supplies and the bags will be assembled and distributed by volunteers. Each bag will contain: crayons, pencils, pencil sharpener, spiral notebook, construction paper, blunt tip scissors, glue stick, dry erase board, marker and eraser, children's book, Legos, and bubbles.  Through bulk purchasing we've been able to lower the cost of supplies for each bag to approximately $6.50 per bag.”   So, the Kindness Yard Sale donation of $20 should help 3 kids get their Job Bags!!  If you would like to donate to this campaign, visit Go Fund Me - My Job Bags

The right supplies are essential!

·         $17.02 was used a couple of months ago to buy dinner for a family.  We landed at Regan National Airport very late one night.  Everything in the airport had closed and we were the last ones picking up our bags.  But a woman and her 2 children were sitting in the lobby, the kids watching a movie on a device that was plugged in and charging.  As we waited for our bags I went over to talk to them.  It turned out, they were CAMPING there for the night!  Their flight had been very delayed so they missed a connection and there were no other flight options, which left them stuck in DC for an ENTIRE DAY.  They had taken the metro (subway) into the city during the day, but now that it was night everything was closed.  They didn’t have enough money for a hotel room.  I offered to bring them home and let them stay at our house, but their morning flight was super early and only a few hours after we met them.  So instead of housing them, we got them dinner.  The McDonald’s near the airport was open and they were excited to have a hot meal.  We took the order, went and got it, and delivered it back to the airport.  I think that was Kindness money well spent.

The golden arches

·         $20 was used to buy dinner for a homeless man in a parking lot.  My partner and I were traveling and had just eaten at a tasty little place in the south that had amazing biscuits.  As we were getting in the car I noticed a man with a backpack.  Attached to the backpack was a MAT made by weaving together plastic bags.  I had read about the mats but never seen one, so we asked him about it.  He said he had made it himself and that it was very helpful in keeping dry and more comfortable when lying on the pavement.  He was really sweet.  We told him the restaurant was delicious and gave him $20 to go in and eat.  He was very thankful.  If you would like to learn more about the mats made from plastic bags, here is an article with instructions:  Turn Your Plastic Bags Into Sleeping Mats

·         $25 was used to buy a grocery gift card for a family whose mom, one of the primary earners, was out of work because she got Covid-19.  She was on the recovering end of the illness but was still not able to work and they were running out of food.  Luckily, the community rallied around them and made sure they got through.  They were so appreciative of the gift card.

I have a couple of other kindness projects in the works – funds have been used to get supplies but because of the pandemic I cannot carry the plans out yet.  (For example, one is for a Department of Motor Vehicles office, and I don’t think this would be a good time to spread kindness there, even if they are open!). 

We have $103.89 from the Kindness Yard Sale left to be used.  I would like YOU to choose where the next $50 goes!!  Please comment below with an idea that is $50.  Voting will be by how many “likes” “loves” or other reactions each idea gets.  I will count the votes and use the $50 at 10:00 pm EST on May 9^th.  So please, comment with your ideas!!

$50, waiting to be used for KINDNESS!
(And yes, that IS Harriet Tubman's face on that $20.  I fixed it.)

I am starting to dream of the 2^nd Kindness Yard Sale.  I hope that things calm down in our community before too long and that there are items left to be donated (everyone seems to be cleaning out closets and basements and attics while they are stuck at home!).  If you live in Arlington, VA and have things to donate for the sale I would LOVE them.  I would love it even more if you could store them until we know when we can have the sale 😊 .

Thanks so much for being a part of this grand experiment.  It brings me joy, and I hope it does you, too.   Now get out there and be KIND.  But social distance!  And wear your mask!!!  #KindnessActivist  #ALittleKindnessCanGoALongWay  #KindnessDuringTimesOfPandemic