There are so many people, organizations and businesses doing so many wonderful things each and every day, we at Registry Partners wanted to take a moment and share some amazing, uplifting, and inspiring good news stories from around the world and show how people are stepping up to make the world a little brighter. Especially in times like these, we are proud to have such amazing people on this Earth and doing whatever they can to make a difference and help anyone they can reach. There are so many positive stories and good deeds being done, this is just some of many we were able to share with you today.
“In the midst of darkness, light persists.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
- JOANN Fabrics has launched a Make to Give face mask program and is providing free materials and downloadable face mask designs; as well as have created a YouTube instructional video on how to easily make a cotton face mask. Customers are able to pick up a face mask kit at any open store, free of charge, to create masks to donate to healthcare systems and organizations in need. JOANN Fabrics’ goal is to have 100 million cotton face masks donated. Partners and customers have donated over half of their goal so far!
- In addition to the 10,000 mattresses Serta has already donated to New York hospitals, Serta has also created a Stay Home, Send Beds program. For every 25 beds donated Serta has pledged to donate an additional bed, as well as has provided a comments section. This way, if anyone donating has a specific hospital they would like beds donated to they can make a request and indicate the hospital of their choice!
- Crocs is donating 10,000 pairs of shoes each day through their Sharing a Free Pair to Healthcare program. Every healthcare worker that signs up will receive a free pair of Classic Crocs, with free shipping!
- Various distilleries, breweries, and wineries nationwide have dedicated themselves to producing and distributing hand sanitizer. Here is a list of some of the many companies involved: Pernod-Ricard, Bacardi, Tito’s, Budweiser, Perry’s Tot, Savage and Cooke, Denver Distillery, Ballmer Peak Distillery, St. Augustine Distillery, Copper Bottom Craft Distillery, Old Fourth Distillery, Koval Distillery, Mississippi River Distillery, Hotel Tango Whiskey Artisan Distillery, Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co., Old Forester, Black Water Distilling, Twin Valley Distillers, Knob Hall Winery, Ryan & Wood Distilleries, Founders Brewing Co., Ugly Dog Distillery, Finger Lakes Distilling, Muddy River Distillery, Outer Banks Distilling, Karrikin Spirits Company, Crater Lake Spirits, Eight Oaks Farm, Hollow Creek Distillery, Old Glory Distilling, Treaty Oak Distilling, Caledonia Spirits, Diageo, Black Draft Distillery, and many more. For a more complete list and information visit Parade.
- World Economic Forum reported that Coca-Cola awarded $13.5 million in grants to not-for-profit organizations responding to the coronavirus in both North America and Canada. One grant enabled 200 food banks to feed vulnerable populations, while other grants are funding childcare for emergency health workers, mental health and counseling, and other emergency aid resources. In addition to Coca-Cola, World Economic Forum also reported that PepsiCo is directing $45 million to communities hit the hardest by the pandemic worldwide. Their funding includes not just medical needs but also providing meals to at-risk populations.
- In San Francisco, there is a resident who is serving free coffee out of his home’s window. He is offering free coffee to any essential worker passing by while still maintaining the appropriate social distancing guidelines. Click here to read more and view the posted news clip.
- In a small town of Iowa, an anonymous donor gave away a total of $82,000 worth of gift cards to local businesses for every residence in the Earlham community. This generous gift was a two-fold effort to help boost the local economy while also supporting those families who are in need. To read more, click here.
- In Michigan, Allen Marshall offered free gas to healthcare workers by standing on the corner of an Exxon gas station near a local hospital. Allen’s sign read: “Free Gas for Nurses” and he was able to fill between 50 to 80 different medical workers’ gas tanks. After Allen’s money ran out, he continued to stand at the intersection holding a new sign that read: “Thank You for All You Do!” To read more about this amazing story and see the new clip click here.
- A family in Wellington, England wanted to do something special for their neighbors and spread a little extra cheer. The family spent 6 hours coloring each brick of their home in chalk and created a “rainbow house”. The family was inspired by the story of another good deed on Facebook who had a similar idea. To read more and see a picture of the rainbow house, click here.
- In South Dakota, a middle school teacher, Chris Waba, went above and beyond when he noticed one of his students was struggling with her math homework. Chris happily went the extra mile and visited his student’s home, which was right across the street, to give a 10-minute math lesson. Not only did this middle school student receive a personal tutor session right from her front door but she also maintained social distancing at the same time! To read more, click here.
- In an effort to help anyone who is in need, a resident in Severna Park, Maryland has set up a table near a busy traffic circle and is putting out healthy bagged lunches each day. These free lunches are available from 11:00 AM EST to 1:30 PM EST with a sign stating, “made with love by a neighborhood mom in a clean and sanitized kitchen”. Residents in the community are treasuring her kindness and even being noticed by the state Delegate Nic Kipke who posted on his Facebook page, “Things like this really lift my spirits! It’s great to see so many in our community doing so much to care for others during this stressful time.” To read more about this heartfelt story, click here.
- Tootsie’s, a local restaurant in Palo Alto, California, has extended its services and are catering free meals to their local hospitals through their Adopt a Doctor or Nurse program. Donations are accepted in all amounts and donators are even able to specify which department they would like their meal sent to! In creating this program, the restaurant has experienced an influx of business and has been able to rehire some of the staff that originally had to be laid off when the shutdowns first took place. To find out more about Tootsie’s special program click the link above. To read more about this story, click here.
- Little Free Libraries and Pantries have been sprouting around more frequently over the past few weeks as stay-at-home orders continue to be put in place. Items such as books, food, paper products, etc. are being left in all sorts of homemade containers for neighbors to use and enjoy in this time of need. Little Free Libraries or Pantries can be registered online so anyone in need can easily locate them! Neighborhoods around the country are adopting this act of kindness to make sure their community members have a little something to get them through this difficult time. To read more, click here.
- In Australia, Peter Darmos told the Herald Sun, “I couldn’t stand to see my kids fed and others starve. This is a tragedy of profound proportion” after he handed out $100 cash to each of the hundreds of jobless workers waiting in the unemployment line. Peter also stated: “I had to do that because these people need instant relief. They can’t wait for tomorrow or the day after”. In total, Peter ended up handing out a total of $10,000 in cash. This act of selflessness and generosity is one of many people are experiencing and showing around the world. To read more about this story, click here.
- TJ Kim, A 16-year-old teen from McLean, Virginia, started a service called Operation SOS – Supplies Over Skies. Although he does not yet have his driver’s license, he is using his flying lessons to deliver medical supplies to rural hospitals throughout the state of Virginia. Besides flying supplies to rural hospitals that are not receiving the same attention as bit city hospitals, TJ, and his family are also rounding up the various medical and PPE supplies they are delivering, which according to TJ is the hardest part of the operation. TJ’s goal is to deliver medical supplies to 7 different rural Virginia hospitals and, so far, TJ has been able to knock off 3 of the 7 hospitals from his list already! You can read more about this teen’s story and view the news clip by clicking here.
- Along with others, an ER doctor, Robertino Rodriguez, from San Diego, California, taped a photo of himself to the outside of his PPE attire so patients can now “see a reassuring and comforting smile”. Especially now, taking a trip to the hospital can be stressful and scary as we try to make sure our health is not put at further risk. On top of that, to walk into an Emergency Room and see all of the doctors dressed head to toe in full PPE attire can add an extra level of nerves in addition to what we are already feeling. Although small, these simple acts are having a huge and positive impact, and let’s face it, anything that can bring us a smile and a little calm these days is greatly appreciated! To read more about what our healthcare workers are doing to make this situation less scary for us, click here.
- In East Tennessee, a teenage cashier, Elizabeth Taylor, showed an act of kindness by paying for an elderly customer’s entire grocery bill! Layne McKeel, the senior shopper, hadn’t been out of his home very much since stay-at-home orders were issued. When Layne had to go out for essential goods, he found himself short $33. Elizabeth stepped up and paid for Layne’s entire bill. Elizabeth has seen how this pandemic has been affecting seniors and their ability to locate essential goods and she wanted to do her part. To read more and view the news clips, click here.
- In Canada, a team of high schoolers created the Joy4All project where people can call into a hotline and receive some much-needed joy during their isolation. There is both a local and toll-free number to call and anyone can listen to pre-recorded stories, kind messages, jokes, and more. The program is even accepting submissions of personally written messages, content, and recordings to be added to the list. To find out more about this amazing program go to the link above. To read more about this story, click here.
- The “Atlanta Angel”, a previously unidentified generous donor, paid for shopper’s grocery bills during senior hours in 44 Kroger’s located throughout the Atlanta Metro area and 29 Winn-Dixies throughout the state of Louisiana. The “Atlanta Angel” was later reported to be Tyler Perry, who is not just known for his movies, but also for his extreme generosity. Not only has Tyler Perry paid for senior’s grocery bills but earlier in the week tipped $500 to every out-of-work server at Houston’s restaurant in Atlanta. These were definitely not the first, nor probably the last, of Tyler Perry’s acts of kindness. To read more, click here.
- David Puente, a Minneapolis, Minnesota local photographer has created The Porchtrait Project to keep families smiling and sharing their stories through his lens. With photography demands low, David came up with a creative way to keep his business going while giving real views into local’s lives, their struggles and successes, and how they are navigating their way through a new way of living. David is respecting the social distancing guidelines to take families’ porch portraits and posting them to his site and social media pages. David describes the project as a way for him to give someone something that they can hang on the wall and in a few years look back on it and in such a frantic and scary time see the there was some silver lining to it. To find out more about the project and view his pictures, visit the link above. To read more about this story, click here.
We hope you have enjoyed these special and wonderful good deeds and hope this has helped bring a little brightness and happiness to your day. Remember, these are only a few of many out there. You can find even more incredible good deeds through these sites: Good News Network, Sunny Skyz, and inspreMORE.