39 Random Acts of Kindness Ideas
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
By Heidi Pruitt and Dan West | The Kokomo Post Staff
Happy Random Acts of Kindness Day, Kokomo! If you’re new here, you might not know that the motto for The Kokomo Post is #MakePositivityLouder. We want to help create the type of world we want to live in — not only on National Random Acts of Kindness Day, but every day. Check out our giant Random Acts of Kindness list — sorted into free, cheap and a little more generous — and let us know how you are brightening people’s days today.
Free: Sometimes all it costs is time
Send a cheerful email in the afternoon: The after-lunch slump is real! Send an email to someone not expecting it and share some positive news or a funny video. Researchers say the benefits are two-fold -- great for the receiver, but consistently practicing appreciation through email has been shown to extend a person’s life.
Call in a radio shoutout: Everybody loves to know someone is thinking of them. Call in to one of our local radio stations and ask the DJ to let someone know.
WZWZ Z92.5: (765) 453-9205
WWKI 100.5: (765) 456-1100
WMYK Rock 98.5: (866) 985-ROCK
Hold the door for someone: This small action might not seem like much, but every little moment of kindness impacts people. Showing just that little bit of courtesy can set the stage for the rest of their day.
Return someone’s cart: In the grocery store parking lot, offer to return someone’s cart for them. It’s cold out, so giving them the chance to get into the car a few seconds earlier is a welcome break, and it shows kindness to the employees of the store as well.
Let a car go first: When you’re in a line of traffic and there are cars waiting to pull out of a parking lot, let one of them go first. If you’re not in a rush, letting someone else go about their day a little quicker is a huge help.
Help someone stuck: It’s still winter — as this week proved — and people get stuck all the time. If you see someone in their car spinning the tires unable to move, give them a push! It won’t take long, and you’ll literally save someone’s day.
Find opportunities to give compliments: It costs nothing, takes no time, and could make someone’s entire day. Don’t just think about it. Say it.
Text or call a friend or family member that is unable to leave their house, and ask them if they need any errands done.
Babysit a friend’s child for free. A night away to do some adulting is one of the kindest things you an do for a parent.
After a wedding or a party, donate the leftover flower arrangements to a nursing home or hospital. Beautiful flowers always have the power to make someone smile.
Leave an un-used coupon next to the item on the shelf in the grocery store.
Shovel or salt your neighbor’s sidewalk for them. It’s so cold, and think of what a welcome sight a freshly shoveled walk would be.
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Leave a kind note on someone’s car in the parking lot. Think something empowering or awesome that lets them know they are special, rather than telling them their parking job bites.
Ask a senior about their past. The elderly in our community and our families have stories to tell. Take a moment to listen and learn.
Leave a positive comment or review on a new businesses social media. As many as 91% of customers used reviews to determine whether to use the service. Help a business by sharing about an exceptional experience!
Let someone go in front of you in the grocery store line. Sacrificing a few moments of your time costs you nothing and shows an unexpected bit of kindness to someone you may never see again.
Wheel your neighbor’s trash bins to the curb before trash day — or in after.
Compliment a parent about their child’s behavior. Frankly, parents could all use a little more encouragement with the year we have survived.
Cheap: It doesn’t cost much to make someone smile
Leave a quarter in the cart at Aldi or leave some pennies for the mechanical pony, Sandy, at Meijer, whenever she makes her post-COVID return to the stores.
Bring donuts to the office: Donuts are a great way to start the day, and the person bringing them into the office is always appreciated.
Leave a treat for your mail carrier: Postal work is long, hard, and relatively thankless. Leave your carrier a gift card or baked treat to find when they come by your house.
Tip big: The standard 15-20% tip is great for servers, but let them know they did a great job by giving a little extra.
Thank you cards: Everyone loves hearing they’re appreciated. Send a thank you card to a teacher, doctor, or another person in your life who you think is doing a great job.
Cook a meal for your neighbor: Let your neighbor take a break by dropping off dinner for them. A casserole dish left on their doorstep with reheating instructions lets you brighten their day while still social distancing!
Leave a thank you note: If you’re traveling and in a hotel, consider leaving a thank you note with a small tip for the housekeeping staff. Housekeeping is a thankless (and often gross) job, and a $5 tip with a note will make their day.
Generous: For those of you with a little extra to give
Pay for someone’s laundry: Laundry is never fun, and lugging all your goods to the laundromat in this cold is even worse. Brighten a lot of days by heading to one of Kokomo’s 8 laundromats and loading up the washers and dryers with quarters.
Buy a stranger’s groceries: Feeding a family can be expensive, and there are always other places that money could go. Pick up the tab for someone at the grocery store and watch their entire day brighten.
Buy school supplies: Teachers work incredibly hard every day and often foot the bill for their own supplies. Consider making a bulk purchase of markers, pens, pencils, and notebooks and dropping them off for one of our elementary schools.
Make a donation: The Kokomo Rescue Mission is always taking donations of new and gently used items. Check out their donation guide here: to see if you have something you can give to someone in need!
Donate to the Kokomo Schools Education Foundation: The Education Foundation funds over 15 separate scholarships and endowments for students. For more information or to donate, click here.
Send pizza to first responders: Find out how many firefighters and EMTs are at one of your local firehouses, and send them pizza. Whether it’s during the day or the night shift, they’ll appreciate both the meal and what you thought of them.
Cover a stranger’s meal: Pick a table at a restaurant and pay their tab. Don’t let them know you’re doing it, just pay their tab when you’re checking out. The deed will be appreciated, and the mystery will be fun.
Leave some cash in an envelope, taped to the side of a vending machine. Surprise!
Buy a $10 gift card to the grocery store when you’re checking out, empower the cashier to use it on someone who looks like they need cheering up.
Drop off dog and cat toys, food, or blankets to The Kokomo Humane Society, 729 E. Hoffer St.
Create a winter care package for a homeless person (include water, socks, gloves, a hat, chapstick, hand warmers, etc.)
When buying Girl Scout Cookies, send an extra box to troops overseas.
Pay for the order of the person behind you in the line at the coffee shop or the drive-through. It’s an oldie but a goodie. Who knows? You might inspire them to pay it forward as well.
You don’t have to have a lot of money or time to make someone’s day. You never know what a small act of kindness can do for someone who might be struggling. We hope you are able to #MakePositivityLouder by completing one of these tasks for #RandomActsOfKindnessDay! What is the most meaningful random act of kindness you’ve witnessed or participated in? Let us know in the comments below!
