Do your little bit of good where you are. It’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world. ~ Archbishop Desmond Tutu
April is volunteer month. It’s an opportunity to recognize the good works being done on a daily basis by folks in communities across the country and a chance to celebrate even those small, random acts of kindness that go unnoticed but do make a difference. It’s also a good time to reflect on how we might become more involved in our local communities and to realize we can impact the lives of others even with the smallest act of kindness.
About a month ago, a good friend encouraged everyone she knew to volunteer or do a random act of kindness to help celebrate her birthday. Often, most people think about themselves and the gifts they’ll be receiving on their birthday, so I thought it was a brilliant idea that she was asking friends to give to others in some way. I celebrated by volunteering a few hours at a local animal shelter. It may not seem like much, but I’m glad I chose to do something.
I believe that random acts of kindness or spending a few hours volunteering, do make a difference and when added up, they can overwhelm the world. No doubt, there are definitely days when the world seems overwhelming in a not-so-good kind of way, but we always have two choices in how we react – we can become paralyzed and do nothing out of frustration or despair, or we can choose to do something…some little bit of good wherever we are… like helping a stranger we pass on the street, assisting the person in front of us at the grocery store, paying for the coffee for the next person in line, putting a coin in an expired parking meter, holding the door open for someone, or by sharing our abundance with our neighbors in need.
So we’re kicking off April by celebrating everyone who gives of their time and talents to make their communities and the world a little bit better off. We hope you’ll join us with your own random acts of kindness by donating fresh fruits or vegetables from your garden to a local food pantry whenever you can. You can find one near you by clicking here: www.AmpleHarvest.org/findpantry. No amount is too small to donate. The person(s) receiving your donation may not have had access to a fresh, healthy option without the generosity and kindness of your action!
You can also volunteer some of your time to help us spread the word about AmpleHarvest.org to food pantries and gardeners/growers in your community by visiting: www.AmpleHarvest.org/local
Together, one random act of kindness at a time, we can overwhelm the world!
