Stories of Kindness from Around the World

A Little Extra Garlic Bread Kindness

A few days ago, I volunteered in the kitchen at the City Ministries rehab center.  One of the things that gives me the greatest pleasure is cooking for and serving food to people who are really in need. This kitchen serves dinner to about 120 people who are either homeless, hungry, or in rehab at the facility.

On this day, spaghetti was on the menu.  I spent a few hours prepping food for dinner.  At the end of all that prep, I got to put the garlic bread on the trays and hand the trays to people.  Everyone got two pieces on a nice tray of food.

As I doled out the bread two-by-two and gave a friendly greeting to each person, I noticed a man who looked particularly down on his luck.  I asked him, "Are you very hungry tonight?"  He nodded.  I gave him an extra piece of garlic bread.

A small gesture, to be sure, but it made me very happy to just do that little bit extra. 

Mrs. A Appreciation Day!

My good deed for today was to bake cupcakes for my entire physics class in honor of my wonderful physics teacher, Mrs. A.  She is not an average teacher.  She is very smart and intelligent and is teaching us an important subject for university.  On top of this, she is so sweet and compassionate -- she never belittles her students and is always fair.  Because of these reasons, I feel that she deserved this day of cupcake honor :)

Cookies, Girl Scouts, Our Troops and Smiles

Some of the women at my work had been hit up to buy cookies from some Girl Scouts they knew. We wanted to support the young girls but we were all working on losing weight. We were wondering what to do when we got the idea to send the cookies to the troops overseas.

My daughter was serving in Iraq when this happened. I packaged them up in a care package and sent them out to my daughter's unit.  My daughters unit enjoyed them so much and we got lots of appreciative letters and emails from them. It was so lovely to receive all of those and see what an impact a small gesture on our part had had.

They were flying a flag at their unit and told us they were going to bring it home for us to fly here.

What a blessing was brought out by wanting to support one cause by buying cookies and bringing smiles and love to another cause!

Random Acts Of Couponing Kindness

I usually go to the supermarket with coupons in hand for the items I intend to buy.

This time I took my whole collection and handed over coupons to people who were shopping and who had the right items in their basket. 

I even saw one mom who looked like she could use some help so I took my coupons for some free items, gathered up those items and gave them to her. At first she said she could not afford the items but once I explained they were free with the coupon she was very appreciative.

I know I could have used the items but she sure needed them more.

A Warm Uncle

I am sharing this story in honor of my Uncle Nate who recently passed away. 

Many years ago this special man reached out and touched my life in a wonderful way. It was a very critical point in my life.  I was pregnant and not yet married to my husband.  My father, who is a devout Catholic, was very offended by the whole situation.  He would not speak to me or acknowledge my existence. 

At Christmas time, I was invited to a family gathering at my aunt and uncle's home.  I was reluctant to go, anticipating the icy repsonse I would receive from my father but my husband encouraged me to attend. It took a lot of courage for me to walk into the party, but I did. 

My Uncle Nate was the first to come and greet me with a big hug and welcome admist all the looks.  I will never forget him for this act of kindness, although I never mentioned it to him.  He was a quiet and gentle soul and will be sorely missed by me and the rest of his family. 

A Small Opportunity to Share Some Food

I saw in ad in the newspaper for a program called Food Not Bombs. They were distributing food to the hungry near where I live. I decided to show up at the indicated place and time in order to help.  In addition to contributing my physical efforts I brought a plastic container filled with vegetarian food that I had cooked along with a set of plastic utensils to add to the giving spirit. When I arrived at the intersection no one was to be found. I looked all around and even asked a hotel receptionist and a security guard, neither of whom knew what I was talking about. I was a bit lost.  I went back to the intersection and looked around. I saw an unmarked hotel entrance and went inside. The receptionist there informed me that I had just missed the event. It turns out that the program drops off food for the ... Read Full Story >>

Kindness, Happiness and Health

Ever since I finished the 29-Day Giving Challenge, I have felt a lot happier and have a much more optimistic outlook on life.  I think the secret to happiness is always counting your "thank yous," giving, and smiling.  I've done some research lately on the health benefits of kindness, and some say that the kinder you are, the happier you will be.  Is this the secret to happiness? This is new to me, but some of you may know that the actual act of giving results in a small or big rush of what's called "endorphins," aka a "helpers high".  Kindness in general has both physical and mental benefits. For example, in my case prior to starting the challenge, I felt tired, unenthusiastic, and lacking vitality. However, after just a couple days, along with some gifts, my energy started to increase, I felt more alive so to speak, and I was ... Read Full Story >>

A Little Kindness To An Old Man In The Rain

I live near an Adult Assisted Living Home which means I see many elderly people out walking.

Yesterday it was just starting to rain as I was driving home. I was almost there when I noticed this elderly man with a walker looking a bit worried and trying to walk as quickly as he could.

He was on the other side of the street. I quickly turned around and went back for him. I pulled up and asked if he would like a ride, hoping he wouldn't be afraid.

He smiled and said, "If you would be so kind."  

That's all I needed to hear. I put his walker in the back seat, helped him into to front seat and away we went! It was only a short drive down the road but one that I imagine would have felt like 100 miles to an elderly gent in the rain.

A Smile For A Child

At our local foodbank we have 71 kids aged 12 and under whose families come in for food. Living on SSD I can't afford to buy things for these kids, however, thanks to graciousness of many small companies and one or two large ones I can normally give them something; coloring books, stickers, snacks, etc. 

Just one small thing can bring the biggest smile onto the faces of these children.

The parents have little and the kids have less. But doesn't every child deserve at least one smile a month?

I spend alot of time on the internet and going to pick things up, but the gigantic smiles I receive from these kids make it all worth it. One little girl calls me her Lady whenever I see her in town.

God bless all who help me bring this one smile a month, and God Bless all of you who help bring smiles to everyone.

Never mind cosmetics, a smile is the cheapest way to improve your looks!

A Little Bit of Coupon Kindness

For some time now, I have been involved with a great group of people. 

The person that heads it up gathers coupons for perishable and non perishable items then sends them to the families of our overseas troops.

I do the same thing now to help her in her efforts. I collect these coupons from all my friends, co-workers, family members and neighbours. Then I separate them out and send them off to her.

All it costs me is a little bit of postage but knowing I am helping our troops in some small way makes the effort and the tiny cost so worth it.

Kindness "To Go" At This McDonalds

As a substitute teacher, my daily routine invoves driving to a new school almost every day so I'm usually unable to anticipate the days events, good or bad! On one particular day, I was teaching in a very difficult classroom. I was managing behaviour all morning and by lunch time, I knew I needed a coffee to even consider surviving the afternoon. So on my lunch break, I drove to a nearby plaza to get a coffee. Upon returning to the car I realized I had locked my keys and my phone inside! I had about 15 minutes to get back to the school which was a good four or five-minute  drive away. I contemplated sprinting back, but it being winter, I thought a nasty fall on ice would only make the situation that much worse. So I ran into a McDonald's which was in the same plaza and asked the man ... Read Full Story >>

Making Someone's Day In A Technical Way

My laptop had been out of commission for a while and I knew I had to get it over to Best Buy to have it looked at. I had been putting it because I was worried about how much it might cost me. I got to Best Buy and was waiting in line watching other people getting their computers checked out and hearing the amount they'd have to pay, I was getting sick! Finally, I got up to the counter and I explained what was going on with my laptop. Within 5 minutes Greg had it up and running and connected to the internet. He told me I was set, and there was no charge. I was shocked! I offered a tip and he refused. I offered to buy him lunch. Again, he said no. Finally I said, "What about a bagel? Everyone loves bagels." Greg responded with a smile, saying, "Bagels are awesome." I left the store and went to the ... Read Full Story >>

Grabbing the Opportunity Before it Passed

I came across HelpOthers one afternoon at work and I left my office that day filled with inspiration, wondering how I could make a difference in someone's life, even if only for a moment.  I'm in a period of transition moving to a new home as a single parent with three children, finances are tight, my mom is fighting ovarian cancer, my sister has been laid off, my ex-husband is out of work.  Life is less than rosy for me right now and I was eager for an opportunity, quite honestly just to feel better about life and make someone else feel better.  I was eager to give. As I left the parking lot, I made my way down the street towards my home.  It was an especially hot day even at this late hour of the afternoon.  I stopped at an intersection and idly watched a young woman make her way through ... Read Full Story >>

A Kind Act Keeps Giving Long After

Today I was going through a bunch of stuff and came across some things I received from my HelpOthers friends in London. It has been nearly a year since I was the recipient of their kindness.

I read through all the cards that were sent and smiled at their sincere kindness. I could never have imagined how much the kind people here have made a difference in my life.

It got me thinking today as I re-lived receiving their kindness. Never underestimate the power of a small act of kindness. You never know how many times it will continue to spread smiles, even long after it was received!

I smile today and am forever grateful for every one of you here. I have made some great friends, been touched by numerous acts of kindness and ultimately have become a better person because so many of you take the time to care and make a difference.

It makes all the difference and is something I am treasuring greatly today!

Keep up the great work in any way you can!

Setting An Example For My Grandchilren - In The Rain

I was on my way to pick up two of my grand-daughters and take them to church.  On the way, I stopped by the shops to pick up a few things. I told my other grand-daughter Michelle (who was already in the car) that we might get wet. She was all for it, with a grin plastered on her face just from the thought of it. We ran from the car to the shop, screaming as the giant cold drops soaked us to the skin. I almost ran straight into a little old lady holding onto her walker. She had three bags of groceries tied onto the handle of the walker. She didn't mind that we were in such a rush, she just smiled at our silliness! We went into the store, bought the things we needed and prepared ourselves for another shower. That's when I noticed the lady was still there, waiting for the rain ... Read Full Story >>

School Friends Step-Up The Generosity

My friend and I had an assignment for one of our classes to do a random act of kindness and write and essay about the experience. We were inspired to take  the assignment even farther and turned it in to a kindness project to recognise people who serve our community. We scoped out a number of places where people serve the community in our town.  Then we baked (and baked) for 6 hours: cookies, cakes, cupcakes, pies, and brownies.  When we were done baking, we began dropping them off.  We went to two fire-stations, a hospital, the post office, the police department, and we even chased down some bus drivers for three blocks :) Everyone's reactions were just amazing. The bus drivers hugged us and were on the verge of tears. Everybody was so thankful when it was us thanking them for what they do.  Policemen and women, doctors, nurses, bus drivers, firefighters - these are the people who ... Read Full Story >>

Reaching Out to a New Friend in Starbucks

I'm a single mom looking for a job. One morning I had grabbed my favorite spot at a local Starbucks and was going through the newspaper when I noticed a man in ragged clothing looking really unkept. I felt led to speak to this man and so I did. I learned that he was homeless and just wandered from place to place. Starbucks was nice enough to allow him to come in from the cold or the heat depending on the day. I also learned that he used to be an architect, but as we spoke I saw more and more that he wasn't at the fullest of mental capabilities, which made me even more upset that he didn't have a place to go. I sat with this man for a very long time in Starbucks calling different clinics, hospitals, shelters, police departments. He even gave me a beat up business card of a gentleman saying that was his ... Read Full Story >>

The Baby Birds in our Backyard

We have lived in this house in Arizona for a few years now. We have several pets including two cats and a dog.  In our backyard there is a pool and two huge trees that are taller than the house.   The first spring we were here we noticed what was to become a yearly phenomenon. There is a period of several weeks where baby birds end up in our backyard.  Most of the time they are strong and healthy and just need a few days to learn to fly.  If left in peace their moms come down and feed them until they fly away.  At first we had some close calls as the cats and dog thought these little birds were toys.  We quickly learned that our backyard is no place for bigger animals during this precious time. So, every spring our dog and cats take a break from the backyard.  We ... Read Full Story >>

New Glasses and Well Wishes

An old man I knew fell down in front of my house.  He was okay but he had smashed his glasses.  I knew he was living off a pension and had limited resources so I told him I would like to get his glasses fixed for him.

He told me if I go to a certain optometrist they'll do it free if I mentioned his name. I took the glasses there, mentioned his name, and they said "yeah, we know him" and then charged me $80 to fix them.

I never told him they charged me, I just passed on his new glasses and my well wishes.

Creating a Smile at a Difficult Time

I met a lady a few weeks ago whose husband had recently passed away. She told me she was lonely and dealing with immense grief. She expressed that she was struggling with doing things around the house that she was not physically able to do.

I like doing yard work, so I called her up and asked if I could come by, as I wanted to mow her yard for her.  After two hours I finished and she was so thrilled to see a well groomed yard and tearfully she thanked me and said she just could not believe someone would work in the hot sun to help someone just like that.

I expressed how much pleasure it gave me to do this for her.  She was like a new person full of smiles and joy.  What a blessing it was for me.