12 Ways to Spread Kindness in Your Community

Random Acts of Kindness Week kicks off Monday, February 17, 2020 – meaning you get until the following Sunday (Feb. 23) to give back every day of the week. Random Act of Kindness of Day is celebrated Feb. 17. It is celebrated by various individuals, groups & organizations, across the nation to encourage acts of kindness. Whether you want to give back in your local community or become a Random Acts of Kindness activist (RAKtivist) through the Random Acts of Kindness organization (RAK), this week gives everyone a chance to get involved with some very simple ways of spreading awareness! 

RAK Kindness Challenge

The RAK organization has designed a challenge to test people in their own neighborhoods and communities. They are offering a free packet to spread kindness. Each day presents a new challenge such as writing a letter to a friend or a making a list of kind acts for each day of the week. Once, you have completed the activity for the day, you can mark off ten hearts on the day-to-day heart chart. Each activity is worth 1-3 hearts. The idea is to get more hearts and the activities with more hearts are designed to challenge how you can give back and how much time one can put into spreading awareness. 

Get involved locally. 

Donate to the Greensburg Little Free Pantries 

The Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department raised money in 2019 to donate and install three little free pantries in Greensburg. The free pantries are located near local churches, recreation centers, or civic buildings. The pantries help neighbors and community members in need. The Downtown Greensburg Project created a Amazon Wish List. A list of items that would be ideal to put into the pantries. Individuals can go onto the wish list and order items which are then shipped directly to DGP and then distributed to the pantries. Donating items from your own home or the wish list is a great way to give back to the local community! 

Blood Donor App 

The Blood Donor App alerts you when there is a shortage or need for your blood type in your local area. The app will then connect you with local blood drives that are near. The mobile phone application is made by the American Red Cross and is made completely free to the public. 

Pay it Forward Food Edition

Ever have the person in the front of you in the line at your local coffee shop or fast-food drive thru pay for your order? Well, Random Acts of Kindness Week gives you the chance to do the same. The concept is easy, simply pay for the person’s order behind in line at the next gas station, Greensburg coffee shop, or restaurant. The idea is to get the next person to pay it forward in some way and then it creates a chain of kindness awareness. 

Kind comment challenge

The challenge is intended to give out as many kind comments as possible throughout the week. The idea is to hand out notes with inspiring phrases such as, “You are awesome!”, to random strangers. A little bit can go a long way and you might just make someone’s whole day or week. An alternative to this can be to leave sticky-notes on doors or tables so the next person who visits will see the notes and can then pass it along. 

Volunteer 

Greensburg has various organizations where you can volunteer. Whether you want to help people or animals. The Salvation Army of Greensburg, Animal Friends of Westmoreland and 412 Food Rescue are great places to start. The Westmoreland County website gives a list of places that offer volunteer opportunities in the Westmoreland area.

Re-connect

Spreading kindness awareness is a simple task and can take a few seconds of the day. A simple way to get involved for the Random Acts of Kindness Week is to text a friend you have not spoken to in a while. The text should be a reminder of why the person is special. 

Social Media 

Get involved from your phone! Social media platforms are a great way to give back to the community. Comment on a neighbor or friend’s post and leave a kind gesture. If you already do that, you’re on top of the week! Another way to give back is to share a GoFundMe fundraiser that is supporting someone in the Greensburg area. A third option is to create your own message and share it so others may pass it along! This is similar to the kind comment challenge, but this is online. 

Community Clean up 

From tidying up the house to the sidewalks of your neighbor, this idea is intended for any type of cleaning. Whether you are helping a friend clean their house or you want to get a group and clean up litter around parks such as St. Clair or Lynch Field or the city streets, this concept gives anyone a great way to spread kindness in the Greensburg area. 

Help a neighbor 

February in Greensburg can be cold and snowy some days. Why not, help a neighbor in the Greensburg area! Shovel the snow off their sidewalk or brush off the snow on your neighbor’s car. This action can go a long way and they could return the favor in the near future. 

Support the Arts of Greensburg

A great way of giving back is supporting individuals in your local community. Greensburg is full of culture and arts. Buy a ticket to the next local show at the Palace Theatre or shop items from the talented artisans of YWCAmakers who offer a variety of handmade items. Supporting the arts in Greensburg keeps the culture alive and connects you with new individuals in the community!

Fill the meter

Have you ever parked in a space in town where there was time left on the meter? Well now is the time to pay it forward. The next time you take a trip into town, look for cars that are almost out of time on the meter or spaces that have run out. Great streets include Main Street, S. Pennsylvania Avenue and South Maple Ave as these roads hold a lot of meter parking in Greensburg. 

Have other ideas for Random Acts of Kindness Week?! Tag us on social media using #GbgKindness and inspire others!

Comments
  • Connie
    Reply

    This is beautiful! The 2nd Greatest Command that fulfills all the law…to love your neighbor as yourself !

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