Project Warmth 2026 Is In The Books!

Here’s the deal:  at Kindness Activist, we have a LOT going on.

For example, just this afternoon David said to me, “I can’t believe you are organizing THREE EVENTS at the same time…”.  And it is true, I am.  Ugh.  (Shhh, plus another one he has not heard about yet…)

But that’s ok!!  Because there are always things to do, and there is always kindness that can be spread!

One thing we are trying to get better at is FINISHING projects.  Like, actually putting all of the bits and pieces away.  Writing a report on how things went.  Posting a blog to share with YOU, the kind people who follow our work and donate warm clothing.  Really closing projects out before diving into the next one (or two or three…  Or perhaps at the same time as diving into the next one/s…).

Anyway, consider this the closing piece on PROJECT WARMTH, 2026!   I figure, now that temperatures are in the 90s here in South Arlington, Virginia, I should sit down and tell you how the big winter project went.

Our goal for 2026 was to give away at least 200 coats (we counted snow pants/snow bibs as coats, too).  200 was a lofty goal…  So, how did we do…

We blew that lofty goal out of the water!!

Project Warmth 2026 distributed 269 coats!!!! 

And along with coats, we gave away loads of hats, scarves, hand warmers, mittens, gloves, sweaters, shirts, long underwear, boots, some flannel pajama pants, and socks.  Whew – there was a LOT!

We accepted donations January 3 – 10.  We set everything up and handed out the first items on January 12.  Here is a fun fact: the first coat found a new home in just 10 minutes!!  We hit our goal of 200 on March 5, and kept going a couple of weeks after that. 

Things that went really well this year:

-         Storing all of the donations in storage unit at CubeSmart in Shirlington.  We had 3 sturdy clothing racks full of donations on hangers, an overflowing table of MORE donations waiting to be hung, and 2 other tables with scarves, hats, etc. 

-         Setting up a sturdy clothes rack in our basement to bring items over a few at a time as needed.

-         Sorting the racks at the storage unit into women’s, men’s, and kid’s.  That brilliant move didn’t happen until mid-season, but we have learned it is worth the time to do it.

-         Accepting donations for only one week.  We had plenty during that short period, and it was good to not have bags of gear showing up on our porch all season.

-         The new hangers!!  We have always had an issue with people taking the hangers with the coats, meaning we have to keep replacing hangers all season.  But this year, someone on Buy Nothing was giving away metal hangers just like hotels have – the kind that you cannot get off the closet rod no matter how hard you try.  We used those and they were brilliant and solved the hangers disappearing issue.

-         Adding warm winter socks to the wish list for the Little Yellow Free Pantry.  We want new socks to hand out – everyone deserves warm, good condition socks.  Having them on the wish list made it easy for donors to purchase.

-         Being willing to donate most of what was left at the end to charity instead of trying to pack it away for next year.  We only saved a few really good items that never got put out.

Snowstorm during Project Warmth 2025

And things that could’ve gone better and we hope to improve next year:

-         We had a lot of sweaters and shirts, and realized that coats are more needed and get taken quicker.  We may not accept sweaters next year, but stick to coats, hoodies, snow pants/snow bibs, boots, and the other accessories.

-         We need to put sizes on the boots.  It is hard to people to see inside them, especially when it is dark out and cold.

-         We need to ask for more HELP.  One night a neighbor came to CubeSmart and was soooo kind to organize a ton.  It was very helpful.  Next year, we need to ask for help to hang and organize.  People want to help, but they can’t if we don’t ask.

There you have it!  Another successful Project Warmth in the books. 

David jumping for joy at Project Warmth 2025

Special thanks to: 

-         Michael Jones, Sr. at CubeSmart.  You sir, ROCK!

-         Lauren Siperstein – thank you for the loan of the sturdy clothes rack again this year.  I promise we will return it soon (see above – trying to improve actually finishing things…)

-         The many, many kind people who donated items to be given away

-         The neighbor who made the sign for Project Warmth a few years ago – was it Lauren??  I love that sign – it is so effective, functional, and beautiful

-         The neighbor who helped me organize soooo much one evening at CubeSmart

-         The mysterious person who donated the “The Comfy”.  Even though it is kid sized, it is so amazing.  I confess, I kept it.  I washed it up and pulling it out of the dryer…  Oh my goodness…  Anyway, I PROMISE that I put in a couple of my coats and sweaters to make up for taking this donation, but I am now a proud owner of a (kid size) The Comfy.

-         The sweet neighbors who were so thankful to get warm clothing.  We heard loads of “God bless you”s and statements of gratitude

-         And my partner for now and forever, David Gaines, who made trip after trip after trip to CubeSmart with me, repaired the sign for me, put coats out when I couldn’t be here, put up with me obsessively making tic marks for each coat taken, and was/is the most supportive human in the world

And with that – PROJECT WARMTH 2026 IS A WRAP!

P.S. – I just did a bit of research to figure out just how long we have been hosting Project Warmth.  I teared up when I realized – 2026 was our 11th year.  Over a DECADE of giving away winter gear, helping people in need stay warm all winter.  Color me proud.

 

 

 

A Single Boot

I looked out the kitchen window, me safe and snug in my warm house, and I saw a boot.

A single boot. 

A gray rubber boot.

Next to it, a foot wrapped with plastic.

That’s our view of the Little Yellow Free Pantry from the kitchen window – we see guests from the knees down.  The pantry covers the rest of their bodies and their faces, which sometimes leaves us to guess who the visitor might be.

“David, look.  Their foot is wrapped in plastic…”

 

They stood at the pantry looking at their choices.  They were one of few people brave enough to get out in the cold today and come for supplies.  And the ICE – the sidewalks are slippery and some have not been shoveled.

 

Yet there they were.  One foot in a rain boot.  One foot in plastic.

 

I bundled up in my coat and went out to greet them to see what else they might need.  When I could see more than their feet, I recognized them immediately.  It was one of our guests who lives in their car.

 

“Do you need BOOTS??” I blurted without even thinking if the question might be disrespectful.

 

“Yeah.  Yeah.  I could only find ONE,” they said, pointing to their rainboot.  “And this other foot is broken…  It is in a tennis shoe.”

 

One boot, not insulated.  One broken foot.  A tennis shoe wrapped in plastic.

 

“What size are you?” I asked, hoping that we might have a pair of warm boots for them.

 

They told me their size, and I asked what other winter things they might need.  I made a mental list, asked them to please wait for me, and ran downstairs to see what we had.

 

First – boots.  I was so disappointed to see the only boots left are kids and smaller adult ones.  That made me sad, but I started collecting the other items.  Big fluffy down coat – check.  Warm socks – check.  Warm hat – check.  Hand warmers – check.  Gloves – check.

 

As I was turning to rush back upstairs, I saw a shoe box…

 

I opened it and found a BRAND-NEW pair of beautiful, warm boots that were the right size.  Yes!

 

I carried everything out to the porch and found the guest hunting for a sock.  They had found one on our porch (leftover from yesterday – it had been covered in ice), and were hunting for the mate. 

 

“I found a sock,” they told me.

 

“Hey, I brought you 2 pairs of warm socks!  Here!” I said as I handed them over.

 

The coat was received with gratitude.  I demonstrated how the hat had a liner inside to make it even warmer.  They looked through the basket of mittens and chose the work gloves plus a pair of large mittens designed to be worn over gloves.

 

“And hold on a minute – I have some boots that might work, too!  I will grab them,” I told the visitor. 

 

Their eyes lit up when they saw the beautiful new winter boots, tags still attached.

 

“These are the size you asked for.  I think they will fit your good foot, but I am not sure about the broken one.  How about you take them and try them?  If they work, great.  If not, please bring them back for someone else.”

 

I asked what other food they might need that they hadn’t found in the pantry, but they said they had enough.  Really, I think they were probably overwhelmed with all of the winter gear and didn’t want to ask for more.

 

This person could be me.

 

They appear to be about my age.

They are always clean.

They are quiet and polite.

They told me once that they had a house or apartment, if I remember right, they had a fire and lost everything.

They seem smart.

Don’t appear to have a mental illness.

They just, as they told me one time, “Have had a hard couple of years”.

 

This person could be you. 

 

It could so easily be any of us.

 

Broken foot covered in plastic.  Walking on ice. 

 

Living in their vehicle.

 

I can’t imagine how cold that must be.  Sure, they can turn on the motor sometimes and run the heat, but I bet that is not often.  Can’t waste fuel that might be needed to actually go somewhere. 

 

I came inside and cried.

 

This work warms my soul and breaks my heart at the same time.

 

Thank you to all who support Kindness Activist.  Because of your generosity, we persist.

 

Thank you to whoever donated those fantastic warm boots.

Thank you to those who brought over coats and scarves and other winter gear.

Thank you to people who bring over or order food to help us keep the pantry filled.

Thank you to those who donated fancy gowns and jewelry for the Fancy Outfit Library so that neighbors can borrow them.

Thank you to neighbors who show up at our events.  Neighbors who pay to get their nails painted by our young helpers, who stand in line to buy a cup of cocoa from June Bug, who shop at our fundraisers and online auctions, who buy plants at the plant sales and get photos taken at the kindness photo days.

 

And thank you to the amazing people who donate money.  The funds you so graciously give keep us alive. 

 

Soul warming.

Heart breaking.

 

It is possible for both of those to exist simultaneously.

 

P.S. – A word on donations:

- Monetary donations are tax deductible and can be made via PayPal, Venmo, or check.  Any amount is greatly appreciated and will be used to spread kindness.  Donation info can be found here:  Donations – KindnessActivist

- Donations for the Little Yellow Free Pantry should be placed in the tan and green plastic bin on our front porch.  If they are ordered from the Amazon wish list they will ship directly to us.  Link to shopping list of most currently needed items and wish list here:  LittleYellow Free Pantry - Google Docs

- The donation window for Project Warmth (winter clothing) has closed for the season.

- We are not currently accepting donations of clothing (fancy or otherwise) or household items.

We Give, We Take

Dear neighbor who just delivered a bag of coats for Project Warmth -

Thank you.

Because of you, someone will be warmer tonight.

No, not because of the actual coats that you donated.

But because you donated.

You see, at Kindness Activist, we believe that everyone deserves to be warm.  Only, sometimes that mission is hard to get across to people.  And when you walked up with your donations, I was struggling to get through to a guest.

From my perspective, this guest needed some warm clothing.  Sure, they had on a fleece, and it looked like another layer underneath.  But they were wearing shorts.  And no mittens.  And it is not warm out. 

This is a person I have interacted with several times.  They are super sweet, quiet, reserved.  Every time I ask them if there is any food I can get for them inside – are they hungry for anything specific, do they need any toiletries, I always get a gentle smile and a, “Oh, no, no no…  I am fine,” in response.  I try to explain that it is no trouble – I can just run inside and fetch what they would like.  I tell them I do it for lots of people – it is no bother.  But no.  They will choose from what is in the pantry, no matter how bare it is when they arrive (after walking 2 miles to get here I think).

So today, today was the first time I have seen them since we started Project Warmth 4 days ago.  I rushed out to greet them – then paused and recalibrated myself to be calmer and not overwhelm them.  “Hey, we have something new happening!  We have winter coats to give away – loads of them.  Neighbors donated them.  Want a coat??” I offered.

And the response was the usual, “Oh, no, no, no…  I am fine”.

Donation bin chock full of amazing warm clothing

“Are you sure??  We have lots to choose from.  Look!” I said as I rushed up to the porch where donations waiting for me to process them were in a big bin.  “This one looks warm,” I said as I held up a like new looking jacket.

“Oh, umm, no thank you.  That is too fashionable for me…”.

Ahhh yes, why hadn’t I thought of that?  This is a fly under the radar type person…  I quickly dug through the bin – I had their attention for a only brief time.  I knew if they wanted a coat it had to be now… 

“Hey – this one looks good!  And warm!” I said as I held up another choice.

They smiled at that one, so I brought it down for a try on.  We examined it together – the pockets, the special “thumb holes”, the colors…  But they weren’t convinced.  And I don’t think it is that they didn’t want it.  It wasn’t that they didn’t need it.  It was that they felt they didn’t deserve it…

“What if someone else needs it more than me??  I would feel bad taking it…” they tried to explain.

I told them the coats are for EVERYONE.  Uber drivers pull over to get a coat.  Kids.  People walking by.  Everyone.

Still, they hemmed and hawed.

But then YOU walked up.

I saw you rounding the corner with a bag.  I wondered if you would stop here.  I wasn’t sure if it was food for the pantry or something warm that you carried, but I suspected you were coming to drop off.

And you didn’t bat an eye.

You didn’t turn around when you saw the backpack on the sidewalk at the guest’s feet, heavy blanket neatly rolled and tucked on top for carrying.  You didn’t stare at the person in shorts on a winter day.  You didn’t pause.  You didn’t judge.

You just walked up.

“Hi!  Is that a donation?” I asked.

“Yup!” you said as you handed me the bag of coats.  “Thanks!”.

And you left.

Just like that.

You normalized it.

People give.  People take.

We SHARE.

Because we all deserve to be warm.

I smiled at the guest.  “See??  She probably brought the things her family doesn’t wear anymore.  Like I told you, lots of people have brought things over,”.

And just like that – it was ok to take a coat. 

It was ok to accept the gift.

It was normal.  It was life.  They were deserving and they were worthy.

So, thank you neighbor.  You didn’t know it at the time, but your donation made a difference in a life today.  Because of YOU, someone will be warmer tonight.  And because of you, someone feels worthy. 

P.S. - they also accepted a pair of warm gloves.  

This great hat was donated and will find a new home soon

A Bit of Hope in the Cold

If you ever had any doubt whether donations to Project Warmth are needed or not, let me set the record straight.

We just had a guest who made me cry.

They are houseless.  They live in a tent.  They told my partner David the general vicinity of where it is once, and one day we went to check it out and say hello.  They were not home, but we got to see it.

It is a small tent.

Down a steep embankment.

Next to a stream.

In a little “forest” if you will.  With homes on the other side of the hill.

In the summer it might be a beautiful little setting – the creek splashing, birds singing…  A get-away from the hustle and bustle that is all around us.

But it is not summer.  It is bitterly cold here.  It’s so cold that the local public schools started 2 hours late today so the kids didn’t have to stand outside waiting for the bus in the worst of it.

I hadn’t seen this guest since Christmas day.  We gave them one of the holiday gift bags I think, I hope we did anyway, it’s hard to remember now.  I hadn’t seen them since December, but I certainly have thought of them.

“I hope they have gone into the shelter and are not still in the tent…” I thought.  “Surely they have gone indoors for THIS – the ground is covered in ice and snow.  They can’t possibly still be in the thin tent…”.

But they can still be in the tent.  And they are.

I saw them at the Little Yellow Free Pantry today and ran out to see if they needed anything.  They had finished and were walking down the sidewalk, so I had to yell to get their attention.

When they turned around, they smiled.

“I have not seen you in a long time – HAPPY NEW YEAR!” I greeted them.

Then, in their quiet voice with the beautiful French accent, they said, “Yes, I have not seen you.  I came many times, but you were not here.  I changed the times of my visit to see you, but you were gone.  I thought maybe a holiday?”.

Yes, my friend, a holiday.  To someplace warm. 

Talk about privilege…  I left my warm home, the one with the soft bed and the heated blanket, and flew to Florida.  There I walked on the sandy beach.  I lie in another soft bed.  I rested.  I recharged.

While this person shivered in a tent.

They had already found food in the pantry today (they collect food not only for themselves, but also for another person experiencing homelessness that is not healthy enough to come).  But PROJECT WARMTH has begun.  Warmth. 

“Have you moved inside??” I asked hopefully.

“No, no I have not,” they replied quietly.

Their hands were uncovered.  They stood holding their bag of food with cold, cold hands.

“Do you have mittens??” I asked.

“No, no I do not,” they told me.

If we gave them a gift bag there was a pair of stretchy cotton gloves inside, but those are not really warm, and this person had probably given them as a gift to his friend. 

“Sit here on our steps!  I will go get gloves.  I will be right back,” I told them.

When I returned with the first load, a neighbor and her child had arrived.  They were bringing a tiny snowsuit to donate.  It was touching - seeing a donor and a recipient both standing in the sunshine on the freezing sidewalk.

I presented the guest some amazing gloves someone had donated - black ski gloves that looked very, very warm.  “What about these?” I asked.  “Will this work for you or your friend??”.  Those were a resounding yes.

More trips inside and back out.

Sweatshirts.  Warm socks.  Hat (we only had one good hat at the moment, the others were too small, the rest are at the storage unit and need to be retrieved).  Long underwear shirt (which I had to explain, apparently those are not a thing in their home country).  Scarves.  A neck warmer.  And COATS.  For him – a big fluffy black coat with a warm hood.  For his friend, a tan coat with a sherpa-like lining.

So today, they left with two big bags.  One filled with food.  One filled with clothing. (And wearing their new coat, hat, and gloves.)

But this project may have the wrong title.  For as thick as those items are, I doubt they can bring warmth in this weather. 

But they will bring a bit of shelter from the cold.  A bit of comfort.  And perhaps a bit of hope.

Hope that spring will come early this year.

Hope that the snow will melt and the stream begin to babble again.

And hope that someday for them as it is for me – there will be a warm house with a soft bed.

Hope. 

15 Stops of Kindness Warms My Heart

So many people are amazingly kind and help out in our work at Kindness Activist.  I get often get texts and messages asking if we know of anyone who needs a specific item, or if the pantry could use x, y, or z.  The outpouring of support is very heartwarming and gives me energy to keep going.

And every once in a while, a very specific offer of support comes in, maybe one I didn’t even know I needed, that gives me such joy.

An offer like that came in yesterday.

A lovely neighbor named Sally sent me this message: “Hi there. The kids are up for a Buy Nothing blitz tomorrow to find items for Project Warmth. If you post another “in search of” ask in the Facebook group, I can take the kids out tomorrow to pick items up and save in my shed for you until the 20th.”

This.

THIS is the kind of specificity that you don’t know you need until it is offered.

You see, we host a big annual event called Project Warmth.  We collect good condition, clean winter clothing items from the community and put out a few of the things at a time in front of our home on a very busy corner near Washington DC. 

It is amazing how many people need hats and scarves and sweaters and coats and boots…  We give away a lot of items each year – last year we handed out over 100 coats (we didn’t count the other items)!!  We hang them out – maybe one sweatshirt, a coat, a hat, some new socks, a pair of mittens…  Then, as an item finds a new home, we replace it.  We do this several times a day, every day, for a couple of winter months each year.

It may sound easy, but it is a lot of work.  I need to put out asks for donations.  I often have to go pick them up.  Sometimes they are dropped off on our front porch (once so many were dropped off right in front of the door that I could not open it to get outside and had to go out the back door and walk around). 

Then I have to SORT them.  I have to make sure each glove/mitten has a mate.  Have to make sure they are CLEAN – we ask donors to only donate clean items but sometimes things come in that need to be laundered, so that means running loads of laundry.  I need to test zippers and check for holes and the like.  Anything that doesn’t pass the “good condition” test needs to get donated somewhere else – yet another step to be done. 

And we need to keep an eye on the project.  If the sweater gets taken, we need to bring out a new one.  If it rains, we need to bring everything in before it gets too wet.  And we need to STORE the things at our home all winter so they are accessible to grab and give.

It is a lot of work.

But this offer from a neighbor that came from out of the blue – this took a big load off of me.  And it not only helped me, it was great for people who had things to donate and were holding onto them until the January 20, 2025 start date.  I started asking for things a couple of weeks ago but requested they not be brought to our home until we began for the season, so some families were just waiting with bags of things until it was time.

And, because of Sally and her kids, for 15 households, today was time!!

Yup – between my ask at around 9:00 PM Saturday night and 7:30 AM Sunday morning, 15 people had commented that they would love to take Sally and the kids up on their offer to come by and pick up donations.  That’s a lot of stops!!

S. (age 10) helped his mom plan out the route by plugging addresses into GPS.  I talked to him via video when they were all done collecting and he said that the work was a bit more than he expected 😊.  He explained that he had carried all of the bags of donations (with ice and snow on the ground, mind you!) from the households to the vehicle and that the bags were heavy.  The GPS told them that the 2-hour drive of 15 stops took them on a route of just under 5 miles. 

Most of the donors left the bags of items out for pick up, but S. said that a couple of the households answered the door and talked with them.  He claimed the whole thing was his sister H’s idea (though I suspect it may have been influenced by mom).  While he hauled the heavy bags, H. documented everything by taking photos on an iPad.  “She is obsessed with taking pictures,” the big brother grinned.  “She probably took about 100,000 pictures.”  That’s my kind of girl!  I love photos!  Sadly, the pics she shot are in a fancy black and white coloring app and can't be shared outside the app, so we will have to make due with photos her mom took :) . 

You may remember these kids from a piece I wrote last year.  In that act of kindness, they handed out bottled water to neighbors when a boil alert came down from the county.  These two are KIND KIDS.

And, like so many times we are kind in life, it turns out that the act not only helped the people whose donations were collected, it not only helped me by taking that task off my plate, and it not only helped the people who will benefit from getting the warm clothing.

It also helped the people doing the kind act.

You see, this family has close ties to California.  They have friends who have been impacted from the fires.  “Feeling pretty paralyzed by all the people we know in California who have lost homes this week, with little we can do from here but donate cash,” Sally told me.  “So, it was nice to be able to do something with our morning that we know will directly help keep people here safe and warm.”

THIS.  So much this.  So often when we go out of our way to do kind things, an unexpected result is that we end up feeling better, happier. 

THANK you Sally and kids.  Thank you for giving of your time and your energy and your gas (and your wicked photography skills) to pick up all of those items and store them in your shed. 

THANK you, neighbors who donated today.  Your winter gear will help make someone much warmer.

And THANK YOU, universe, for putting people in my life who are supportive, kind, and downright amazing. 

If you would like to donate items to Project Warmth, we will officially begin collecting on January 20, 2025.  All donations must be clean and in good condition.  The following items (in all sizes) are needed:

-         Coats

-         Sweaters

-         Hats

-         Mittens/gloves

-         Boots

-         Snow pants/bibs

-         Scarves

-         Sweatshirts

-         New socks

Donations can be delivered to our home in South Arlington starting January 20^th.  If you would like to participate and need the address, please email us at:  KindnessActivist@gmail.com 

Kindness Accounting - January 2022 Edition

I am back with another update on how Kindness Yard Sale funds are being used!!! 

Oh how I wish I could include you all in the activities when the money is spent.  It is so fun to be able to share the kindness with the world.

Ok, first up! 

I used Kindness Yard Sale money to buy Starbucks gift cards.  We bought 20 $5 cards, then headed over to our local grocery store.  Grocery store employees have worked SO HARD during this pandemic, and lately the grocery shelves here in the DC metro area have been bare.  There was a bad snowstorm, leaving delivery trucks stuck on the highway.  Plus, people PANIC shopped and hoarded items.  And some store employees are sick with Covid and cannot work.  The end result is hard working employees and cranky customers.  So that’s why we treated them to Starbucks cards!  It was very fun to hand them a card and thank them for all they do to keep the community nourished.  We gave out 10 cards, will do the other 10 the next time we shop.  

Ready to go in and hand out gift cards!

Kindness money spent:  $100

One thing I really respect in people is the ability to be VULNERABLE.  It is difficult!  Really putting yourself out there, being honest, especially when things are rough, can be hard.  That’s why when I read this post from a neighbor, I new it was the perfect way to use Kindness Yard Sale funds:

“Would anyone be able to pick up some food from the Salvation Army on Glebe Rd for us?   Our car was repossessed the other day, I have been unable to get groceries and other necessities as I didn’t know our car was taken.”

I was so moved by the request.  The woman was not asking for a hand-out.  She didn’t ask for money.  She didn’t even ask for FOOD.  All she wanted was someone to pick up food for them at the Salvation Army.  And the post was made 2 days before THANKSGIVING!

I contacted the poster and explained about Kindness Yard Sale funds.  I asked her to give me a shopping list and we set out for the store!  It was very fun filling the cart with food for these deserving strangers.  And they were so appreciative when we delivered it.  Turned out they were new to Virginia, there were chronic health issues too, and the family was just in a hard spot.  Other neighbors also pitched in, and the kids in the family wrote letters to Santa and got gifts through that project, too. 

Operation "THANKSGIVING!!" under way

Because of the yard sale, that family was able to have a delicious Thanksgiving dinner.  In fact, I saw that the next month, the woman even posted to invite others to join in their Christmas dinner if they would like!  Inviting strangers to the table!!  That is kindness.

After the grocery deliver and support the community gave, the woman edited her post to add:

“Thank you so much everyone, we are truly blessed. We could be going through this anywhere in the world, but we are here, and the community has been nothing short of amazing. Bless you all for the information and offering to help. We were blessed with lots of groceries and met an amazing couple! My faith in humanity has been restored to a whole new level!  Happy Holidays everyone and when you need a hand, or someone to make you a cup a of coffee and offer you an ear, you have a whole a family here who appreciates all of their neighbors!”

Kindness money spent:  $292.32

I got word of a sweet couple who were new to America.  They came from a WARM climate and bam – here they were in the middle of winter!  They use public transport, which means a lot of walking to and from busses and metros. 

Kindness money was used to buy them a cuddly blanket and a nice pair of warm boots for the man (a student).  Because of kindness funds, he can now walk to and from transportation without freezing his feet!

Kindness money spent:  $59.80

A local elementary school contacted me about a program they run.  They were arranging Thanksgiving meals for families that did not have them, and wondered if Kindness Activist could pitch in.  WHY OF COURSE!  That is exactly what Kindness funds are for!  I pitched in some Kindness money and the organizers were so thankful.  Because of the yard sale donations, many families were able to have tasty meals.

Kindness money spent:  $200

And finally for this update, Kindness funds were used to help a visitor to America SPREAD KINDNESS. 

My friend Ixi is from Guatemala, and her parents came to visit to meet their new grandson!  Her father is very active in his faith community back home, and had connected with a priest in Arlington on a previous visit that he really liked.  So even though he was here visiting and on vacation – he set up a MEAL for people around the church!  They wrote: 

“Saturday November 27 - Thanksgiving day in Virginia, USA.  Faith in Action, along with the Hispanic Church of Clarendon, shared the Bible and served 85 lunches to Central Americans living in difficult situations in this country. God was Glorified. thank you everyone who contributed God bless you and multiply.”

The JOY of spreading KINDNESS

Kindness money spent: $100

That’s it for this update.  There are MANY more stories to be told, and I promise to get to them!  These funds are not MINE, but the WORLD’S, and I pledge to be transparent, as always, in how they are used.

Thanks again for all of your support for Kindness Activist.  Let’s keep spreading kindness and watching the kindness ripples form.

It Takes A Village To Keep Warm

The last five years I have put up what I call “Project Warmth” on the front gate of our house.  We live on a very busy corner – cars drive by all hours of the day and night, and there are often people on foot and bicycle who pass, too.  I learned through experience that some of those who walk past are homeless.  And many who walk by, though they may have a roof over their heads, are barely making ends meet.  So, things like thick coats, warm sweatshirts, cozy hats and scarves, and a nice pair of mittens or gloves for themselves or their children are sometimes not possible.  They make do with what they have, even in the middle of a cold winter.

So, to try and help out with that problem, for “Project Warmth” I hang cold weather gear on our front gate.  There are signs (both in English and Spanish) telling passersby that the items are free for the taking, and that they should pass them along to someone else when they no longer need them.

View of Project Warmth from our front porch - every morning when I wake up the first thing
I do is see if there are still items hanging out there!

The first couple of years I did this project I worked from a large box full of sweaters that my dad had cleaned out of his (huuuge) sweater collection.  I also had some coats and hats I had collected to give to homeless people in DC.  Those items, coupled with a some of our own things that we wanted to give away, got us through the cold weather giving season.  But this year, even though I cleaned out my closets and baskets full of hats and gloves, I didn’t have enough to keep the gate supply going.

So, I leaned on my neighbors.  I posted in a neighborhood “Buy Nothing” group and asked if people had items to contribute.

And boy did they!  I have received donations of very, very warm coats.  Of brand-new hats and mittens.  Of scarves and gloves and every color and size.   There have even been gorgeous HAND KNIT pieces donated!!  And, unlike the normal set up in the Buy Nothing group, instead of me driving to the giver’s house to pick the items up, many people dropped them off right at my house!! 

It has been incredible.  Instead of having just 1 item on the fence at a time, this year I have been able to put out 3 at a time!!  Usually the gate gets cleared off twice a day (sometimes I put items out at midnight and they are gone when we wake up!).  I am so grateful to my neighbors for being kind and generous.  With the community’s support, we have helped people stay at least a little bit warmer this winter.

The bin of warm donations for the front gate is OVER FLOWING, and that is after
giving many, many away already!  

It takes a village.  And I am honored to be a part of mine.

(Here is a piece I wrote about Project Warmth in 2016:  Project Warmth - Warm Kindness