Kindness Activist

10/05/2026

In case you were wondering what a life size lobster would look like on your sofa...

May I present - A LIFE SIZE LOBSTER ON OUR SOFA!!

This beauty can be YOURS for the low, low price of zero at Saturday's KINDNESS ACTIVIST STUFFIE ADOPTION day! I can tell you a few things about this lobster:
1. It is freshly laundered and smells lovely.
2. It is hot as blazes when you wear it (it is a
blanket - photo is me inside modeling it).
3. It is adorable!!
4. It would fit like an 8 year old (color me a contortionist to
model it).

This gems and lots and lots and lots and lots of other amazing stuffies will be available Saturday 11 a - 6 p. Link to event in the comments.

10/04/2026

Our house was abuzz all day today.

We had people dropping off stuffies for the donation event next week.

We had people coming to get food from the Pantry.

Amazon deliveries arrived, including some donations for December's Countdown Calendar and even for the Santa Project!!

People came by to pick up their books for the upcoming Kindness Book Club.

And donors came to drop off supplies for the pantry. So many donors today.

It was lovely!! I got to talk to lots of neighbors, including some I just met today.

One interaction stood out, so I thought I would share it here. A new-ish pantry guest came by on a rental bike, like he usually does. I met him a couple of weeks ago - super nice man who works 3 jobs. He comes to the Little Yellow Free Pantry to get food for his kids. He had exciting news to report today: his SNAP benefits will be resuming soon.

As we were chatting, a car pulled up and a woman got out with bags of food to donate. I thanked her and began to pull some of the things out to give to the guest on the bike. The donor said something like, "Oh! Food for your kids? Can you wait? I will go get more! I stay only about 10 minutes from here!! I will be right back with more!".

And off she drove. Meanwhile, David chatted with the guest and I went downstairs to get some supplies for his family - almond milk, cereal, a cake kit, soap, Kleenex, deodorant, body wash (even when the SNAP benefits kick in again, he won't be able to get toiletries on them), snacks, and more. We even had a very special hair conditioner that he was excited about.

When I came back outside, ANOTHER vehicle pulled up. Another donor! She also had bags to give and met the guest. He got more great stuff from her donations, we got him a sturdy bag so he could balance on his bike, and he packed up.

The woman asked me what was most needed. I explained we are currently low on dried beans.

"Ummm, I don't usually like to ask for anything, but..." the guest said politely. "Toilet paper. We can always use toilet paper."

Ahh yes, toilet paper. I ran down and got him 2 rolls.

He packed up and rode off, happy to bring the goods home and then take his kids to the park. As the woman and I chatted, the first donor pulled up again, the one who had rushed home to get more supplies.

"Ahhh, you just missed him. He left to go play with the kids. But he got some great things from her," I said, pointing to the 2nd donor.

I love it when that happens. When people who have things to GIVE meet the people who RECEIVE them. I was telling David how that makes me happy, and he said, "Yeah! They get to get a glimpse how good it feels for you!".

That beautiful exchange - not one, but two donors got to meet the very hard-working pantry guest that their food supported. Those are the interactions that I am fortunate to be a part of every single day. Conversations like that "fill my bank" emotionally. They give me the energy to keep walking up and down the stairs to get more food. To carry the heavy donations down.

Because everybody deserves good food.

Everybody.

And I am thankful that, through the Little Yellow Free Pantry, we can be a part of making that happen.



(Photo from a moonlit night on the beach - crystal turning the world upside down.)

10/02/2026

In search of KIND BAKERS!

Kindness Activist has a Stuffy Adoption Day event coming up on October 10, and we would love to have a bake sale along with it. When we hosted this event last year, the bake sale was a big hit!

We are a small 501c3 nonprofit, so the funds we raise at bake sales like this really help keep us going. We love to spread kindness, and money raised will be used for that purpose.

Baked goods would need to be dropped off in South Arlington the evening of October 9th or before 10 am October 10th. Bakers of all ages and abilities encouraged to join in the fun!

Interested in baking? Email us at: [email protected] and let us know what you will be making and an approximate drop off time. THANKS!!

10/02/2026

I was only out of town for one week, but I somehow forgot the busi-ness that is Kindness Activist.

I had not one. Not two. But three appointments at the Fancy Outfit Library today.

I dropped off a wand for a family going to Great Wolf Lodge to borrow.

I picked up pantry donations.

I filled the pantry again and again and again.

I worked on logistics for 2 upcoming events.

I unboxed items and restocked the pantry storage shelves.

I made sure a book was ready for pick up for the upcoming Kindness Book Club.

I put out the adorable pillow we had made got a child whose parent is deploying.

It's tiring.

But it's so rewarding.

This evening, a family pulled up to the Little Yellow Free Pantry. There wasn't much in it when they came, despite my best efforts to keep it full today. I walked past them on my way to the recycling bin, and was meet with a small child pointing to the pantry saying, "Cookie?".

Ahhh. There were no snacks for them.

"Cookie?? You need a cookie?" I asked, and the 2 siblings nodded and smiled. "One minute!" I said and went into the basement.

I filled a bag with snacks: granola bars, pretzels, raisins, candy.... "Hey, there's milk to give them! Donated today!" I told David and he grabbed it. He also grabbed ice cream treats that were donated before I went out of town.

We went back outside and as we turned the corner, we heard a chorus of "LECHE!!!". The milk was so appreciated.

"For my babies," the mama said as she thanked us.

David presented ice cream bars to the children, but oops, the box was empty. We went back in to grab one for her and she was so so thankful. When you don't have enough money to feed the kids, it's rare for mama to get a treat.

The siblings were in the van, faces covered with chocolate.

"Is the ice cream good?" I asked.

It was a rhetorical question really, we didn't need to ask. The chocolate smiles gave the answer away.

Busy, but happy.

09/30/2026

EDIT - I THINK WE WILL HAVE ENOUGH STUFFIES WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE RESPONDED HERE AND WE HAVE SENT THE ADDRESS TO. THANKS ALL!

Oh my goodness - our 2nd ever STUFFY ADOPTION DAY is coming up next month!

More details on that when they are ready, but for now:

IT IS TIME TO LOOK THROUGH YOUR STUFFIES!

We will be accepting donations of clean, non-ripped, non-stained stuffies October 2 - 6. They will be given away in a Kindness Stuffy Adoption event later in October.

Please drop off clean stuffies in bags on our front porch any time October 2 - 6. And keep your eye on this page for details of when to come adopt a new (to you!) stuffy!!

09/29/2026

I went out of town for a visit to my family, which ended up having a work trip tacked onto the end of it.

Not to worry, the intrepid PANTRY CREW to the rescue!!

09/26/2026

A couple of months ago I put out a request to help get a young student prepared for a big (scary) adventure. His parents had to leave the country, but were bravely giving him the opportunity of a lifetime to say in the United States and attend a school that was accessible to him, a school that finally afforded him accessible to LANGAUGE, something he had not been able to receive in his home country. His parents were making the difficult decision to leave their Deaf child in the United States so that he could have an accessible education.

Kindness Activist supporters jumped in to help. You all granted everything on the wish list so that he had what was needed to begin school in the fall with his peers.

Only, sadly, because of a glitch in the system, he did not get to start when the other kids did. At the last minute the school put up an insurmountable hurdle.

But now... HE IS IN CLASS!! We got this update yesterday and it made my heart so happy:

"I’m writing to share an update on the Deaf student the community supported. Today FINALLY! is he first day of school. While he was not allowed to enroll at MSSD, he was welcomed to an amazing high school with other Deaf students, dedicated teachers, and honestly the best school counselor I’ve ever met. His housing situation is a bit precarious but it’s through the generosity of the Kindness Activist that he has items he needs, a cool backpack to fit in, and confidence that strangers are looking out for him."

THANK YOU. You didn't know the child, but you knew he needed kindness. And you jumped in.

I can't imagine the relief his parents are feeling knowing that he is supported and now in school.

09/24/2026

Remember how I told you recently about the woman who made an appointment at the Fancy Outfit Library saying she wanted a "white dress" but not telling us she was going to be the BRIDE??

Well, she left that evening with a wedding veil and a wedding dress.

The dress she had ordered before coming to the Library arrived in time for the wedding and was everything she had imagined, so she wore that instead of the one she borrowed from us.

She hadn't planned on having a veil, but because she found one she loved in the Library, she did. She told us, "My visit to the Fancy Outfit Library is a fun memory, and I wore something beautiful and borrowed - the veil - on my wedding day thanks to you."

You are very welcome! Congratulations on tying the knot!!

09/22/2026

Ever wonder what it is like to help out with a very active Little Free Pantry?

Take a peek at this story to find out! We expanded the Pantry Crew for the summer, and everyone lived to tell the tale (including a can of carrots...)

Totally safe to read at work (or school :) ).

Have a great day!

I am not a numbers person. I love words. And I love people. But I recognize that some people ARE numbers people, so that’s why I led...

09/20/2026

It is a busy weekend here at Kindness Activist!!

Yesterday - Nepal and Tibet fundraiser.

Today - STREET CLEANING!

We adopted some streets in our neighborhood earlier this year, and our duty is to clean them once a quarter. Today - we showed up and we ROCKED IT!

We had 15 volunteers turn out and we worked for 1.5 hours. That is 45 volunteer hours to help make our community even more beautiful!

We wore our custom safety vests (cuz you can never be tooooo safe, right?) and represented Kindness Activist. One thing happened that was so perfect:

We spread out and work because we have 3 big streets to clean. The buildings we are working outside of are county buildings - Sequoia Plaza, and they have loads of windows. Well, a hard working county employee (working on SUNDAY!) saw a group of us through the window and came out to give everyone cold water. Isn't that great? She also noticed one of our volunteers had a bit of blood on her leg from a bug bite, so she went inside and returned with first aid things to get the wound cleaned up and protected.

So, while WE were out spreading kindness, a lovely human was being kind to us! Perfect kindness ripple.

Adopting a Street is a great opportunity to get involved in your community. It is also a learning experience. We have helpers of all ages, and this task can spark lots of conversations. We had a serious one today when a young group of cleaners found an encampment that a neighbor must be living in. They very respectfully cleaned around the outdoor home, without disturbing anything inside. When we were done and everyone had gathered, we had a good discussion about homelessness, and we agreed that we could check in on the person when the weather turns cold.

Arlington, VA, is considered a wealthy community. Housing is very expensive (both rental and purchase). Median household income in Arlington is $142,114 (53% higher than the state average). And yet we know that many of our neighbors are suffering - needing food and housing. Witnessing this firsthand helps us to understand the disparity in our community (and in our country). I am proud of the parents that involve their kids in events like this street clean-up. These kids are the future, and if they are any indication, the future will be a more sensitive, caring, and respectful one.