Stories of Kindness from Around the World

For a long time, I have been toying with the idea of going abroad to do something worthwhile, a voluntary thing, either working with kids or animals... and have been spoiled for choices with the kind of organised things you can pick, different causes, different countries. It's very expensive though. And I was puzzling over how can I be able to afford the flights and costs and everything. And impatience took over me.

I thought "I can't wait to do something, I have to do something worthwhile NOW!!" So I just got up off my bed, went downstairs and started making sandwiches and put some crisps and some biscuits and an apple into about 6 little disposable picnic bags, called a couple of friends and told them my idea - "we're going into the city to give this food out to the homeless!" My friends loved the idea and we stopped off and bought 6 huge bottles of water too (the heat has been sweltering these last few weeks) While we were in the supermarket, I saw a whole cooked chicken that was in the clearance section, so we grabbed that aswell and gave it to the first homeless man we came across. He was really shocked but also really grateful. What a feeling like no other.

I was tingly inside from making someone's day, but also sad because I knew I had only helped one person out of thousands... It made me cry actually. But still at least I felt good to have helped and the buzz got me hooked, I just had to keep going! The week after my brother and his girlfriend came, selflessly giving up their evening plans for the pub, and they were also really lifted by the experience!

So I suppose the moral of this story is that we don't need to look too hard or travel too far for the things that are on our own doorsteps.