How are you paying it forward?

[Rick58]

My wife and I try to be good to others all year long in small ways, not just during the holidays. It might be as small as stopping to talk to a homeless person and leaving them with enough money to get a cup of coffee and sandwich, or making up the cash difference for an elderly person who may be short at the grocery check-out. My wife will constantly complement someones dress, when they are obviously down on their luck, but obviously doing the best they can. Many days a week we'll make a plate of food and take to the elderly lady across our street who is on a very limited budget.
These are just examples of the small things we do throughout the year. They may be small, but seeing the smiles and hearing the gratitude allow us to feel we have made someones day a little better.

 

[Rick58]

My wife and I went to a local Aldi grocery store where they have the shopping carts that need a quarter to free them and when you return them you get your quarter back. We spent $5 releasing 20 shopping carts for elderly patrons. While it cost us less than a combo meal at a burger place it sure gave us better returns!

Very good idea. We have an Aldi just down the street from us. I just may have to steal your idea

 

[480sparky]

Every Memorial Day, the local Scouts put up one flag for every veteran buried at the local cemetery. A bunch of us feed 'em breakfast of scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausages and drinks after they do this Saturday morning. Bless those scouts.. every flag has a veteran's name on the pole, they watch over them all day AND NIGHT until Monday afternoon, they take them down and clean/store them until next year.

I donate to the local Women's Shelter.

Another group I belong to 'adopts' a needy family for Christmas. We buy them the necessities... food cards at the grocery store, clothes for the kids, pay their heat bill, etc.

Last weekend, I was one of 8 who visited a nearby nursing home where we handed out bananas & apples as well as cards. We also inflicted carols on them. We also invite the residents to a picnic in July.. hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, home-made ice cream......

Donate funds to the local elementary school to buy extra milk, above & beyond what's required by da gubbamint.

Help provide teddy bears to the local law enforcement, fire fighters and ambulance crews. Many times, kids are involved in adult situations, and having as something as simple as a teddy bear to clutch can help the little one through it.

 

[Rick58]

Very cool Sparky

 

[Mr_Mac]

My wife and I went to a local Aldi grocery store where they have the shopping carts that need a quarter to free them and when you return them you get your quarter back. We spent $5 releasing 20 shopping carts for elderly patrons. While it cost us less than a combo meal at a burger place it sure gave us better returns!

Very good idea. We have an Aldi just down the street from us. I just may have to steal your idea

You go right ahead, Rick!

 

[sm4him]

I do try to do little things throughout the year.
One of the things I do, since I work in public transit, is I purchase single-ride and 1-day passes. I keep them in my purse and hand them out to people whenever I feel like they really need that option. I've even bought monthly passes before, in a few instances where I knew they wouldn't just be resold for the cash.

There is an organization here called A Hand Up For Women; it is aimed primarily at women who find themselves in a very rough place in life, sometimes because of their own poor choices, sometimes because of other circumstances. They go through a program and are assigned a "mentor" who kind of befriends them. Time constraints have not allowed me to be a mentor, but I donate nice work-appropriate clothes and keep them supplied with bus fare passes, as well as financial donations when I can.

I also work with our boy scout troop; my oldest son got his Eagle Scout in 2008, but I've stayed with the troop since then. Basically, the only thing I do is to take one boy at a time, who is at least a First Class rank, who demonstrates that he truly wants to make Eagle Scout, AND--and this is the primary consideration to me--who does NOT have the kind of parental or other family support needed to help a scout progress toward Eagle. Getting your Eagle rank is a LOT of hard work, and I know of very few scouts who have ever made it without the encouragement and participation from a parent or other family member. My job is to take the kids who don't HAVE that family structure, and BE their support person. I don't DO the work for them, but I nag them, I help them plan, I do merit badge counseling, I go on camping and hiking trips with them, whatever it takes. I tell them the same thing I told my own sons (only one of whom stuck with it to get Eagle) --as long as THEY demonstrate that THEY want to make Eagle by doing what they need to do, I will do everything in my power to help them, including a good swift kick in the posterior--but it has to be THEIR goal; if they decide they don't WANT it, I will not try to push them into it. So far, I've had three kids make Eagle who would never have made it on their own, and it's almost as satisfying to me as when my own made it. I've only had ONE end up deciding not to pursue it--and just a few days ago, I saw his father at the store. His dad said that Abdullah has decided he wants to give it another try and wants to start back after the first of the year. He'll only have about eight months left to get everything done, so we'll see just how committed he really is!

 

[The_Traveler]

Can't we all agree that all of us responded here are truly wonderful people and really must better than anyone else on this site not to mention the scum of the outside world?

 

[rexbobcat]

Sometimes I say please and thank you.

And if I'm feeling super nice I say yes sir/no sir and yes ma'am/no ma'am.

 

[Mully]

?????????????????

Can't we all agree that all of us responded here are truly wonderful people and really must better than anyone else on this site not to mention the scum of the outside world?

 

[rexbobcat]

?????????????????

sarcasm@The_Traveler.com

 

[o hey tyler]

sarcasm@The_Traveler.com

Lol'd

 

[CherylL]

We have volunteered with many orgs through the years and our girls grew up volunteering too. They still do. One year I had to make calls for volunteers in a community food tent and surprised at how many teens (and even a few adults) asked me how much it paid!

One year before Christmas I dropped off some cash in an envelope to a store manager for one of her employees that I heard was having a hard time. I had never met the employee.

We host International students from the local Uni. They have their own apartments, it is more of a cultural & friendship exchange. They come from diverse economic backgrounds. One student was here on a hard ship visa since she grew up in an orphanage in Uganda. She got extra TLC from us. I would make up meals & freeze and drop off a few bags of groceries on occasion. She was a nursing major and since my daughter was a nurse we gave her scrubs and told her they were my daughters because I knew she wouldn't accept new stuff.

For the students I video their graduation so they have a disc to take home to show their families. I've made many projects for nonprofits. One of my daughter's patients was 19 that had a transplant and was doing well. The patient's sister asked my daughter if I would make her a through the years or growing up slideshow which I did. A few months later it was shown at her funeral. I couldn't watch it for a long time, but it gave me some peace that she at least enjoyed it and her family did too.

This thread is a good reminder to do things randomly and not only just at the holiday time. There are some great ideas posted that I may borrow.

 

[snowbear]

We give photography discounts to fire/ems and military. The wife also does the occasional free portrait sessions to families that couldn't afford them.

You and your wife also give away equipment on TPF.

 

[pixmedic]

You and your wife also give away equipment on TPF.

Thats just spring cleaning. The TPF community is doing US a favor making room in our closet

 

[480sparky]

Just after lunch today, the snow finally quit. Unofficially 14". I got the snowblower out and cleared my drive (not that it'll do much good with 40 MPH gusts till tomorrow....). I saw all the snow the plow driver left in front of the drive of Marlene's across the street. So I went over and made it so she could at least get out of her driveway tomorrow before the 3-foot pile of slush froze solid. I still don't think she knows her drive is cleared off.