Making a Difference - post random acts of kindness

SmoothSeas said:
absolutely...

I have yet to visit their new website and try the new games. Have you actually looked into the validity of their actual donations...?
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According to Snopes it is legit. While i think Snopes sometimes errs on the side of labeling something 'false' that more accurately be labeled 'unverifiable', actually in part because of that, if they say something is legit, i accept it. Also since the donations are made via the UN's World Food Programme, Snopes could verify with them.

Kind of sad we live in a world where we have doubt things like this. But we do, there have been charity scams. Some skate near edge of illegality, and way too many pass on unreasonably small % of what people donate. But thinking about this it occurred me that since we play for free, the ones who really need to be worried about if it's a scam would be those sponsors/supporters who pay for the rice the UN distributes, i'm guessing people with surplus $$ in need of tax deductions. Suspect their lawyers and accountants would check the legitimacy.

So, if it wasn't legit--while i would be a bit ticked off about the lying--i'd have to laugh: One of the few situations in which the average person reaps a benefit at expense of the upper echelons. Because playing the games is good for our brains. It has also been a team building thing for companies and schools with groups playing and 'competing' to earn the most donations. Which also fosters the idea that giving where/when/how you can is a good thing. The Banks in Laramie, WY competed to see which one's employees donated the most time volunteering for good causes. And even the execs participated.

The number of people and organizations who play tells us how many people want to do good, but don't have a lot of resources themselves.
 
feywon said:
According to Snopes it is legit. While i think Snopes sometimes errs on the side of labeling something 'false' that more accurately be labeled 'unverifiable', actually in part because of that, if they say something is legit, i accept it. Also since the donations are made via the UN's World Food Programme, Snopes could verify with them.
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Appreciate the prompt response.

I often wonder, when I make a monetary donation to support a charity, just how much of my dollar is actually used to support the cause?

I used to work in the Foundation Department of a large rehab hospital. In memoriam donations would often come in to support a specific cause - head trauma, spinal care, etc - the checks would arrive without stating a specific cause, and could (and often would be) funneled into what ever pot the department head chose.

I learned that when I cut a check to support a cause, that I make sure to designate that it's a restricted donation.
 
The woman pictured with a police officer is Helen J. from Tarrant, Alabama, USA.
She was caught stealing from a nearby “Dollar General” store and the police were called to arrest her.
Everyone's surprise was when the policeman arrived at the scene and asked her what she had stolen, she said, "Five eggs to feed my hungry children."
The policeman took her back to the supermarket and bought her some goods to feed herself and her children.
Helen started to cry and asked the policeman: "Sir, it is too much what you have done for me ...".
The policeman replied, "Sometimes we shouldn't apply the law but apply humanity!"


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for me, the post below brought the first for-real smile of the morning...

"Today I saw a video that made me tear up. An elderly veteran on hospice wanted to get a meal with his wife at a local pizza restaurant. There he sat with his oxygen tubes and oxygen machine and his cap that identified his branch of service in a long past war. In the same restaurant, a middle school choir was also enjoying lunch. Several of them saw him and started to sing the national anthem. The entire choir stood up, faced him, and joined in singing. This old and broken down warrior struggled to stand, placed his hand/cap over his heart, and wept as the choir sang. The humble and noble expression on his face said everything to me. There stands a true hero. Also, the actions of these kids tell me that even though some people say America is bruised, she for sure ain't broken. God bless us all."


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SmoothSeas said:
for me, the post below brought the first for-real smile of the morning...

"Today I saw a video that made me tear up. An elderly veteran on hospice wanted to get a meal with his wife at a local pizza restaurant. There he sat with his oxygen tubes and oxygen machine and his cap that identified his branch of service in a long past war. In the same restaurant, a middle school choir was also enjoying lunch. Several of them saw him and started to sing the national anthem. The entire choir stood up, faced him, and joined in singing. This old and broken down warrior struggled to stand, placed his hand/cap over his heart, and wept as the choir sang. The humble and noble expression on his face said everything to me. There stands a true hero. Also, the actions of these kids tell me that even though some people say America is bruised, she for sure ain't broken. God bless us all."


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Oh, now you've done it!:cry::cool:
 
Murrmurr said:
I've mentioned it a few times; at least once a month I take bags of snacks, water, blankets, food, and toiletries to a few of the homeless encampments here. I also almost always give change to the local panhandlers. When I only have my debit card I'll buy them whatever food or non-alc drinks they're panhandling for. When I worked at a convenience store in Los Angeles there was a guy who always slept at the door. I took him a cup of fresh coffee every morning, and he'd get a donut or 2 whenever we had any left from the day before. When I worked as a bus driver I made an unscheduled stop - pulled over to pick up a young lady with a baby, and I didn't charge her. It was spitting raining, obviously she had no car, and she was taking her baby to a doctor appointment. I almost lost my job over that. Still would have been worth it.

These aren't huge things, but I know the help is appreciated, and it lifts my spirits.
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Or buy a lift gift card for a single mother by gifting it to her mailbox so she can take her child to the doctors.
 
Last week I called the local recorders office because I needed a new copy of my deed so I could set it up as a Transfer on Death. No phone navigation needed, a woman answered the phone, I explained what I needed and why, she explained some steps I needed to take and said she would mail me the deed copy.

Before hanging up I told her how she was so helpful and pleasant I felt lucky she answered the phone and it was true pleasure to speak with her. She was silent for a moment and then replied that was the nicest thing anyone has said to her in a long time.

It takes so little effort to make someone feel good we should do it when we can.
 
This was planned, but random in a way. There's a young man in town who has spearheaded some remarkable kind deeds. One is he got together 11 friends to eat at an IHOP. Each of the friends agreed to tip the waitress $100. My husband and I had previously had the pleasure of being served by that waitress and IMO I'm sure she was deserving of that enormous tip of $1,200.

Same young man got together with restaurant owners and got them to supply free dinners for senior citizens during COVID. He worked from a list. My late DIL was one of the people who provided names and she added me. I in turn added three of my blind friends-neighbors. At first the meals were delivered 5 evenings per week. As the list grew it gradually went down to 2 nights. I forgot how long that service lasted before it ended. No one on his team accepted the tips that were offered.
 

Last year there was an elderly woman in an electric wheelchair that stopped on the road and cars were coming, so I walked behind her, stood at the middle of the road, so they'd see her, but it was too heavy to push. No way I could get that thing forward. Zjoot 2 cars stopped, 2 guys stepped out and carried her with the wheelchair on the sidewalk and then it started working again.
 
Idk if you'd call this random, but every week I take out my neighbor's garbage cans and bring them back in. He's been suffering w/some back issues, requiring that he use a cane to walk. He lost his wife about 2yrs ago, so I visit and listen. He does give me a bottle of wine for my help, I didn't want to accept any money.
 
About a decade ago I was walking on the hills of my German hometown Bamberg (Unesco World Heritage) to take some photos, as I noticed a young Asian man with an elderly couple.

He asked me in German for the way to the castle 'Altenburg' on a hill two miles away. The old people were his parents and walking up this hill would be too strenous for them. Thus I suggested to drive all of them with my car. They were from China and the young man was quite astonished and asked if they had to pay for the ride. I told him "it's free and I am delighted to drive you".

I drove them to the castle Altenburg and told him how to walk down into the centre of the town later.

It almost seemed that they couldn't belive that somebody would drive them without charging them and were very thankful.
 
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