In spite of the stress and fear of the Coronavirus, it’s bringing out the best in people. There are many inspirational stories of people helping one another, spreading kindness and compassion. You too can be a part of this outbreak of kindness. Here are just a few of those stories.

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1.  Maryland Mother Offers Free Lunch to Hundreds
An anonymous Maryland mother is being hailed for leaving out hundreds of bagged lunches for her community during the novel coronavirus shutdowns. The unidentified do-gooder has been leaving the healthy meals on a tent-sheltered table at a busy intersection in Severna Park.

Hanging from the table is a sign that reads: “For anyone who needs it … I will be leaving some healthy sack lunches on this table for you if you are hungry and need to eat. Made with love by a neighborhood mom in a clean and sanitized kitchen.”

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2.  Bar Owner Donates Money to Her Staff
At the Sand Bar, in Tybee Island, Georgia,  patrons have been leaving their mark on the island bar by writing on a dollar bill and stapling it on the walls and ceilings for over 15 years. The owner, Jennifer Knox, has taken down every dollar bill, to donate the money to her staff. “We literally had money on the walls and time on our hands. There was not a more perfect time to give back to my people,” she said. 

After hearing about Knox’s act of giving back, several customers donated to the cause and one bartender decided to donate her portion to another Tybee Island bartender.  Once again we see the beauty of the ripple effect of kindness.

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3.  Supplies Over Skies Brings Relief to Rural Hospitals
He can’t yet drive, but he can fly. High school sophomore Thomas Kim and his family wanted to find ways to help during the pandemic and had the idea to put his flight lessons to good use. His instructor, Dave Powell, was blown away with the idea and SOS, Supplies Over Skies, was created to provide needed medical supplies to rural hospitals. The teenager says that all hospitals are hurting but the rural ones can feel really forgotten.

The most recent flight carried 1,000 headcovers, 3,000 gloves, 500 shoe covers, 50 non-surgical masks, 20 pairs of protective eyewear and 10 concentrated bottles of hand sanitizer to Winchester to help supply a hospital in nearby Woodstock. (Virginia) – Good News Network                                                  

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4.  Boston Officer Acts with Compassion
Officer Ben Peguero, saw a woman crying and when he found out it was because she could not pay for her groceries at the Star Market in Boston, he offered to pay for her groceries out of his own pocket.   

“Peguero said he offered to buy her a few things, and she initially resisted, telling him he didn’t need to worry. But he insisted, and she relented.

She said she went inside and looked to just grab a few items to hold them over, but Peguero noticed that her cart, which remained full of the groceries she’d originally picked out, looked like she was shopping for kids. He asked her if that was the case, and she said yes, she has three young daughters. So Peguero told the cashiers to ring up everything in the cart — and he’d pay for it.” – Boston Herald.                                       

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5.  Not Just Any Bingo Game
How sweet is this?  Matthew McConaughey and his family are hosting virtual bingo sessions for quarantined seniors in a Texas nursing home.  How can I get in on that game?

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6. Landlord Canceled Rent for Hundreds of Tenants
Mario Salerno, who has 18 apartment buildings, said he did not want renters to stress about their payment during the coronavirus pandemic. A few days after losing his job in March, Paul Gentile was throwing away trash outside his Brooklyn apartment building when he noticed a new sign hanging near the front door.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has brought life to a near standstill in New York City and caused an untold number of people to lose their jobs, tenants in the building did not need to pay April rent, it read.

“STAY SAFE, HELP YOUR NEIGHBORS & WASH YOUR HANDS!!!” the landlord, Mario Salerno, wrote on the signs, which he posted at all of his 18 residential buildings in the borough. – NY Times

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7.  This Teacher Will do Anything for His Students
In South Dakota, a 6^th grader emailed her math teacher for help and he drove over to her house with a whiteboard and worked through the problems with her watching him through the window.

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8.  Twitter Founder Pledges $1 billion to Fund COVID-19 Relief
Jack Dorsey announced in a tweet on Tuesday “I’m moving $1B of my Square equity (~28% of my wealth) to Start Small LLC to fund global COVID-19 relief. After we disarm this pandemic, the focus will shift to girl’s health and education, and UBI. He then wrote, “Why now? The needs are increasingly urgent, and I want to see the impact in my lifetime. I hope this inspires others to do something similar. Life is too short, so let’s do everything we can today to help people now.”– Good News Network

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9. Neighbors Stepping Up and Helping Neighbors
Residents across the city came together to form Baltimore’s Quarantine Response Network.  A group of volunteers run errands, walk dogs, offer emotional support and check in on elderly neighbors among other things. 

“We’re trying to have the supports together so the able-bodied can step in,” said Celeste Perilla, who formed in Remington the first iteration of what’s become Baltimore’s Quarantine Response Network. 

After other neighborhoods learned of her efforts and replicated them, Perilla centralized the volunteer sign-up sheets into a single online document with the hope more and more communities will get involved. She then realized that some who might benefit the most from the services offered might not possess an online presence and instructed neighborhood “block captains” to have volunteers post fliers around their communities. – The Baltimore Sun

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10. Robotics Team Makes Face Shields for Healthcare Workers
A California student robotics team is using their 3D printers to make face shields for healthcare workers on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic.

The 13-member team, called The Clueless FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), includes students from five San Diego-area schools. So far, the team said it has assembled 300 face shields and began distributing them to healthcare workers with UC San Diego, Sharp, Kaiser Permanente, and Pomerado Hospital.

According to Emily Tianshi, a high school junior with The Clueless FTC, the team plans to make at least 600 face shields and launched a GoFundMe campaign to help fund the project. Noting the team’s limited number of 3D printers, Tianshi invited members of the public who have their own 3D printers to pitch in so they can reach their goal as quickly as possible. – Fox 5 San Diego

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Want more?  Check Out This Wonderful New Resource for Good News
John Krasinski is on the lookout for good news so he can share it with the world.  He has turned his home office into a studio for his latest project, the Some Good News network, or the SGN Global Headquarters.  While this isn’t specific to the Coronavirus, he does include many wonderful stories of Corona Kindness Warriors.  When you’re tired of all the negative news, try tuning in here.

These are only a few of the many thousands of spontaneous acts of kindness that are happening all over the world.  I hope you’ve found these stories uplifting and inspirational.  Remember .  .  .  .  .

We’re All in this Together

 

Is there someone who inspires you with their kindness?  Nominate them for the Matt Kurtz Kindness Award of $250.

Do you have an act-of-kindness project you want to do but need help funding it?  Submit your idea for the Matt Kurtz Kindness Grant of $250 and let us help you spread kindness.