Stories Matching 'Giving Money/Philanthropy' Tag (177 matches)

A Homeless Man's Gift

On New Year's eve my husband and I stopped in San Francisco for dinner on our way back from a retreat. While eating we felt that we should do something different this year. I took a $20 bill and asked the restaurant owner to give me $5 bills. After dinner, we headed out on the streets to find homeless people. The first guy we came across was sitting with a paper cup in his hand. We dropped in a $5 bill and moved on. Right across the street we saw another man sitting outside a a club with his guitar. We requested him to play some music for us and he obliged, after which we dropped a bill in his cup. Then my husband asked me if I would pose with the man for a picture. Initially, I hesitated although I thought that was a great idea. After some more ... Read Full Story >>

A Tank Of Gas

Many years ago a kind farmer bought  a tank of gas for a stranded mom with 2 children.  He wouldnt accept any money and just smiled, waved and said pass it on to someone else.  And so a few weeks ago as my husband and I were filling up our car with a coupon for 99 cents a gallon, I went in to pay and got into a long line.  I could see up ahead a young man who was having some kind of problem and realized he had misunderstood the coupon and thought it was 99 cents to fill his small truck.  Everyone was saying, "99 cents a gallon is unbelieveable - they cant give the gas away."  He was embarressed and was just calling his wife when I got to the counter.  He said to his wife, "Just come down cuz I dont have that much on me."  I ... Read Full Story >>

Walk My Path: Love, Respect and Compassion

I am a male who has been egoistic, dominating, angry, jealous, suspicious, and have had a lack of respect for myself and others around me.   I have been on an emotional roller coaster.  I participated in various transformation workshops, however it made no difference, I remained stuck in my life. As a result, I became separated from my family and reached rock bottom in my life. Having reached there, I resisted transforming myself . After some time I realized the law of  universe: what one resists, persists.     I then thought to myself, start believing in yourself and it will make a difference in you life.  I first started loving myself and then all those around me.  I started respecting myself and then others around me.  My self worth increased. The  universe supported me and the law of attraction started working for me.   In my life I connected to people with similar energy.  One such energy was ... Read Full Story >>

Hawaiian Gratuity for a Special Waitress

After I married, we honeymooned in Hawaii. Both of us enjoyed our ten day stay-- the islands are gorgeous, the people loving, gracious and spiritual, the sunrises/sunsets one more spectacular then the next, the rainbows miraculously appearing each afternoon after a brief rain and the flowers so brightyly colored and diverse. What a paradise!  We returned to one restaurant several times in Maui because I loved the buffet, the service, the outdoor tables where I could feed the birds, the ocean view and it was close to our hotel.  I befriended a waitress who symbolized the Hawaiin people to me:  she was plump, middle-aged, super friendly, greeting us each time with a huge, warm smile, twinkling eyes, a deep booming laugh and a hug. She was quite chatty and so am I so we bonded instantly.  She shared some of her life stories with us, which was so sad: hubby ... Read Full Story >>

An Empty Wallet and a Full Heart

Today while driving to the grocery store we saw a woman standing with a sign "Family fallen on tough times" by the side of the road. Usually we give the person some food or fruit that we have with us or a bottle of water. Frantically rooting around for a snack, my son and I could not find anything in our bag and by that time the light had changed.  I said out loud, "I only have a $20 bill in my wallet. Too bad, because usually I would give away dollar bills if I had any."  I told my son that we would give something to her on the way back if she was still there. Well, she was still there and on the way back I gave her a smile card wrapped in my only cash-- the $20 bill.  There were cars behind me so I had to drive off quickly (to avoid ... Read Full Story >>

The Battle For Change

I am a New Yorker, born, raised and residing.  We know how much money beggers make a day.  One begger can get about a dollar per 20 people who pass, either in the form of a dollar or in change from several people.  In New York, you can easily get a minimum of 500 people within a 2 hour period passing you.  That is basically 40 dollars every 2 hours.  The number rises if you're in front of a restaurant , a really busy street, or in the subway. Do the math and you can see beggers make more money begging in a day than some people with jobs. I never give money to people -- never.  But last night around 3 am,  I stopped at a Mc Donalds in Harlem to use the bathroom.  I saw him in the door waiting for me to head over to him so he could open the door ... Read Full Story >>

A Bank That Pays-It-Forward

You think everyone would have something they dislike about their job - with the notable exception of the people at State Bank and Trust in Fargo, N.D., CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman reports. "What do you hate about this company?" Hartman asked some workers. One said: "I haven't found anything yet." Another: "No, this is a good place to work? "What do I hate about management? They're just too nice!" One worker said. Another worker said, "They care about their employees." The conclusion: Take this job and love it! Another worker's reaction to Hartman's question, what do you hate about working here, was: "I have to go home." State Bank chief operating officer Michael Solberg said, "That's our mission statement: happy employees, happy customer." What, is this McDonalds? To accomplish the company's mission, Solberg says the bank gives a year-end bonus of about 5 percent of salary. They contribute 15 percent of salary to the 401-K, and do a full ... Read Full Story >>

Losing My Fear of Having Enough

I was moved after reading a story on this site about Adam's day in New York. I commented how it's so easy for me to spend $1.50 on soda every day (or more!), but when I walk by homeless people, somehow I fear that if I start to give them money, I won't have enough. Well today, somehow that fear was lifted. This was not planned, but I had put $3 in my pocket this morning for sodas (it's Friday after all :-) and never got to the place where I buy them. Then, as I was walking to the train, I saw a homeless man ahead and remembered that I had money I could give. So, I took out one of the dollar bills and gave it to him. I continued walking and came across another one of the regulars who hangs around at the same time and gave him ... Read Full Story >>

Service With A Smile at the Sprint Store

Yesterday I upgraded my cell phone at the Sprint store and got the new Rumor.  I love it.  While I was standing there, I was thinking to myself, "These people are providing GREAT customre service, I wish I could tip them or something."  I was so geeked about my new phone, it didn't even dawn on me that I could tip them with a smile card and some cash and say "Go get yourself a coffee or something."   But another very happy customer in the store did it for me by leaving $5 on the counter.  The employee said, "Sir, we can't accept tips," and the customer responded, "I'm not taking it back, it's yours!." So, like Wonder Woman, I swooped over and said, "Here, have one of these!" and I whipped out a Smile card.  I handed the card to the other customer and said, "Give them this. It's an experiment in anoymous acts of kindness. If they can't ... Read Full Story >>

On the Way to a Job Interview

[A letter to Abby, in her column last week.] Dear Abby: Please let the world know that kind people still exist. I was on my way to two job interviews. Not surprisingly, I was nervous, so before I got off my train, I took my phone out to check the directions to the first one. A short walk later, I reached the subway, but when I went into my purse for my wallet to buy a MetroCard, lo and behold, my wallet and new glasses were missing. I retraced my steps and ran to the courtesy counter to ask if anyone had turned in my wallet and glass case. The woman in the booth told me the train was still in the station and to hurry there immediately to check for my things. Long story short, no luck. Heartbroken, I returned to the courtesy desk. Not only would I miss ... Read Full Story >>

A Pocketful of Hope

Here's a quick reminder to all of you when you get stuck in a moment --- that, somewhere out there, someone always comes along with a pocket full of hope. Today I spent all my coins and dollar bills on little deeds. I had skipped breakfast because the clock was ticking away too quickly.  On top of the mad rush, I forgot my lunch. I was going to buy my lunch along the way, but a person in need asked me if I could spare them some cash, so I decided that moment, to put them first. So, then later, that evening, I was heading home anxiously awaiting dinner, when I got a call from my Mom saying that she was stuck working the late night shift and wouldn't be able to make it to the market to pick up groceries. Even though there was no food in the house, I took a step back for a second, and I told my Mom not to worry as I would surely find myself something on which to munch. :)  While I was ... Read Full Story >>

Serving Up Smiles at Baskin Robbins

I'm just a senior in high school who works for minimum wage at a local Baskin Robbins. In and outside of work, I always wear a smile and try to influence my amiable attitude towards others. But lately, I've been inspired by the stories here to reach out in kindness in other ways beyond just acting friendly.  So, today, when I went to work, I decided I would take my first big step and truly help a complete stranger. Two young girls came into the store and looked around. I offered them my usual "Welcome to Baskin Robbins!" greeting.  It was a couple of minutes later when one of them finally decided upon a flavor, chocolate chip. So then, I made a big scoop and put it upon a cone and handed it to her. Interestingly, though, the other girl didn't get anything even though I could tell she was eyeballing the variety of creams.  So, I ... Read Full Story >>

The Old Man on the Highway

As I turned off the highway onto the ramp to go home, I encountered a little old man on the side of the road.  His sign read, "Stranded, need ride to get to friend."  He had a bag, a cane and the clothes on his back. I turned my car to the right, the traffic horrific, no one letting me turn around.  So I went around the block and pulled a u-turn so that I could drive by this little man to offer him help.  A s I got turned, he had already begun walking up the road towards me.  It was like he knew what I was doing.  I stopped beside him and asked him what he was doing. He responded, "Well pretty lady, I am trying to get to my friend who is dying.  We have been friends for almost 50 years and now he lay dying -- I want to be with ... Read Full Story >>

A Timeless Gift

Every day I pass by a homeless man on the street near where I attend college.  He tells me 'hello'  in a cheerful manner, and I always say it back.  I give him any extra change I have.  He always wears a watch.  Not an expensive watch by any means, but it serves its purpose.  One day I noticed he wasn't wearing it anymore.  I asked him why and he looked down and told me that the battery had died so he threw it away.  I knew he couldn't afford a new battery and he certainly couldn't afford a new watch.  He stayed on my mind all day, and I knew what I had to do.  I went out and bought him a watch.  Not an expensive one, but one that was very similar to the one he had.     When I saw him the next day, he was smiling and cheerful ... Read Full Story >>

Helping A Single Mom

Yesterday I heard about a single mom with two kids that I barely know. She was pleading for help to pay her phone bill so it wouldn’t get disconnected. I have seen her help many others over the past months. She struggles to make ends meet but puts on a smile so her children won’t worry. She has no family near her so if she loses her phone, her children or their school will have no way to get in touch with her. After reading her plea, I thought about it all night and it broke my heart. This morning I contacted her and told her I wanted to help. I called and paid her phone bill so that she would not lose it. She wrote me one of the most sincere letters I have ever received, telling me how thankful she was. She cried and said that I would never ... Read Full Story >>

A Man Named Lawrence

This is a random act of kindness that happened to me on Sunday morning, as five of us got off of the 19 MUNI at Hyde and Fulton Street in San Francisco. It was at two in the morning, and we had just finished clubbing it up at a Persian Club and were trying to find our way back to Berkeley. There must have been this look of fear on our faces and in our voices as we were trying to figure out where the AC Transit stop was.   As we nervously chattered amongst ourselves, a homeless man a little ways away yelled at us, “What you lookin’ for?”   Ignoring him, our voices trying to figure out what to do got a little more frantic. “Excuse me!, what are you looking for? Powell is up one street.” I finally said, after much internal debating, “No, we’re looking for the AC ... Read Full Story >>

Folded Napkins For Stevie

I try not to be biased, but I had my doubts about hiring Stevie. His placement counselor assured me that he would be a good, reliable busboy.  But I had never had a mentally handicapped employee and wasn't sure I wanted one.  I wasn't sure how my customers would react to Stevie. He was short, a little dumpy with the smooth facial features and thick-tongued speech of Downs Syndrome.  I wasn't worried about most of my trucker customers because truckers don't generally care who buses tables as long as the meatloaf platter is good and the pies are homemade. The four-wheeler drivers were the ones who concerned me; the mouthy college kids traveling to school; the yuppie snobs who secretly polish their silverware with their napkins for fear of catching some dreaded "truck stop germ" the pairs of white-shirted business men on expense accounts who think every truck stop waitress wants to ... Read Full Story >>

Pay It Forward Coffee (Video!)

Just saw this on CNN today:

Perhaps all our collective good karma is impacting the world after all! Keep spreading the goodness, friends.

Three Words of Wisdom: "Don't We All?"

One evening I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had just come from the car wash and was waiting for my wife to get out of work. Coming my way from across the parking lot was, what society would consider, a bum. From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money. There are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you just don't want to be bothered. This was one of the "don't want to be bothered" times. "I hope he doesn't ask me for money," I thought.  He didn't.  He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop and he didn't look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus.  After a few minutes he spoke.  "That's a very nice car," he said.  He was ... Read Full Story >>

Walking Away with an Open Heart

I was on my lunch break in the city, enjoying a salad at an outdoor cafe, when a disheveled homeless lady came walking towards me.  She was yelling and begging everyone who walked past her for spare change and she looked like a mess.  My instant reaction was fear... to close off and hope she didn't come near me, but she did.  I was on the phone and when she came over yelling, I said, "I'm on the phone," in the nicest way I could, assuring myself what she needed was a lesson in manners.  After all, that is rude to interrupt someone and I have very little money as it is, if she only knew and on and on...  She walked away, mumbling, "I'm annoying you. I'm sorry, I'm sorry.  I'll leave."  And she turned the corner. Normally, I would feel relieved or satisfied, but something in me couldn't rest.  ... Read Full Story >>

Two Sides of Wisdom

I was 16 years old, getting out of the train station with my father, and a woman came to him and said that her money had been stolen.  She asked if he could  lend her some money to go back home. My father gave her what she asked and told her not to worry about sending it back. I was shocked. How could my own father be so gullible? It was obvious to me that she was lying, staying in the station all day long to get the next patsy.  "She was lying!" I exclaimed. "Why did you give her anything at all?" My father looked at me and I could see he was a bit angry. "And what would you like me to do," he said, "Should I tell her that I am a college professor and I can see through her scam?" I did not understand him at all, so he told ... Read Full Story >>

Sharing a Mother's Pain

When I was a young girl, my mother and father divorced which devastated our finances.  My mother accepted food from an uncle that worked at a seafood packing plant that offered torn and shredded food for free as they could not sell it.  We ate a LOT of seafood.  I remember times when my mother would be in such despair trying to spread what little cash she had over the need for groceries to feed us and to this day it pains me to see others in that condition. One day this winter, I dropped into a store to buy a last minute item.  It was not my regular store, but it was the one I chose.  I think it was chosen for me.  Times this winter were very hard on us with the construction industry being so slow, but I felt compelled to do something about the woman and her ... Read Full Story >>

The Circle of Giving and Receiving

Anonymous giving and acts of kindness can lead the giver to a very lonely place in the universe.  Like the Lone Ranger or some other disguised hero, we do kind things all the time and so often the people on the receiving end don’t see it or don’t recognize it. Living a life of altruism, in its most ideal form, means setting the ego aside and not doing what we do for credit.  Usually, I have no problem with this at all.  But there are those days, perhaps when I’m feeling a little weak or drained, where I find myself feeling lonely with it all, feeling like I’m giving, giving, giving, to a world that is in super receiving mode and asleep to what’s being done for them.  I get a little discouraged. Even idealized heroes had their inner circle of friends who knew who they really were and what their life ... Read Full Story >>

The Importance of Getting It Right

The old woman walked with a ramble as she pushed her shopping cart full of worldly possessions. She was dirty, her hair unkempt, her clothes torn, she reeked of alcohol and cigarettes. Most of her teeth missing, the image of a miserable wretch manifested before me. She stopped and asked me for change. I invited her to lunch and she agreed.  So, we went across the street to an outdoor cafe so she could watch over her shopping cart, while we dined. The waitress was taken back by the presence of this woman and did not want to serve us, but forced herself. We ate our lunches - she was ravenous and the food disappeared almost as soon as it arrived. When we were ready to leave, I was feeling pretty good about myself and then she asked for a hug.  It was then that I had to face myself and all the hidden repulsion and ... Read Full Story >>

The Abundance of a Sacred Fund

Last year, I received a satchel of money on the front steps at my home. When that money arrived, I actually was out of town but my family called me and said that there was a lot of money left at the front door with a note.  When, I returned home I was touched most by the note, which read, "Thank you for all you do for the world." As I have shared on helpothers.org, I immediately placed all of this money into my sacred fund which keeps coming back to me again and again. All of the work I do which bring gifts of monetary value immediately goes into a fund in my home. This has enabled me to grow the initial gift from the universe of $1000 and I have attracted and given back at least two to three times this. The abundance just keeps going out to ... Read Full Story >>

Learning from a Father's Empathy, 28 Years Later

On Sunday while I was having my own Father’s day celebration, I thought about my dad a lot.  By the time I called to tell him that I loved him, he had already gone to bed.  I was bumbed out a bit because of missing him so I thought I would write a little post about what my dad means to me. My dad is that absolute most kindest man in the world.  He would never hurt anyone intentionally and would give the shirt off his back in an instant.  This made me reflect on a story about 28 years ago. My dad was a used car salesman and owned his own car lot and body shop on several occasions.  Every Thursday night, he would head off to Shreveport, LA to the auction.  Most of the time, I drove a car over there for him so he could sell it at ... Read Full Story >>

A 10-Year Old Teacher Tips Us in Life

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.  "Miss, how much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.  "Fifty cents," replied the waitress.  The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.  "Okay then, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.  By now, more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.  "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.  The little boy again counted his coins.  "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table, and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier, and left. When the waitress came back to that table, she began to ... Read Full Story >>

Learning From A Cabbie

A couple weeks ago I was standing out on a cold evening in New York City waiting for a cab to come take me to a nightclub.  After about 5 minutes of waiting, I was picked up by a middle-eastern gentleman in his 30's, and he was clearly angry.  Swear words left and right about how horrible New Yorkers were.  I knew my cab ride would only be about 10 minutes and there was a part of me that wanted to be silent and just move on with my life, but I also wanted to try and connect. I asked the man what the issue was, and after some beating around the bush, he told me that he had just come from JFK airport without a customer.  For those that don't know, this is basically $70 in lost fare, which is a fairly big deal.  I tried my best to commisserate ... Read Full Story >>

Paying it Behind At a Coffee Shop

A couple of times a month I play a game in the Starbucks drive-through lane. When I get to the cashier I pay for my coffee and the coffee of the person in the car behind me. The configuration of the drive-through makes it easy to hear the car behind me call their order into the speaker phone so I don't risk paying for a dozen caramel macchiatos and a pound of Sumatra. You may be saying that it's not technically a "game"; it's more like a "stunt". Well the game part of it comes as I try to get away from the store and into traffic before the person with the free coffee can catch up to me and get a look at me. I want to stay anonymous and leave them guessing; I think it gives them a longer lasting impression. One time it was friend of mine but ... Read Full Story >>

Random Act of Consciousness

Just before Christmas of 2007, almost exactly a year ago, I steered into a Starbucks drive-thru line for a cup of tea on my way to teach a morning tai chi lesson. There were a few cars in line, and I got in behind them. When my turn came I gave my order at the billboard menu and moved up as far as I could while waiting patiently for the cars in front of me to get through the cashier line. While the South Florida weather would probably would have felt tropical to much of the rest of the country, I was a bit chilled and was looking forward to my hot drink. The fellow in the SUV behind me reached the menu. Dissatisfied with the alignment between his mouth and the microphone, he laid on his horn, leaned out his window, yelled an insult and exhorted me to move up. ... Read Full Story >>