An act of kindness is like lighting a candle in a dark room, reminding everyone that such a point of light will always penetrate the darkness.
They happen every day all over the world for a variety of reasons, and while they don’t always make headlines, they do make heartlines—and these ten stories are like a North Star that shines a path for us all to follow in 2023.
1) Gordon Ramsay Shocks School Cafeteria Manager Who Called in to Talk Show Asking For Substitute Chef For the Day
We begin in March, when Tina, a middle school chef in England cheekily asked celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay for help preparing food for 300 of the school’s pupils.
Tina told the radio show: “I’m cooking here on my own, I work in a school kitchen and my chef has gone off sick and I have another one off with covid, and I just wondered if Gordon would help me today and give me a hand?”
Although Ramsay had prior engagements, he sent one of his chefs, Rob Roy Cameron, directly to Bedfordshire to grant Tina’s whale-of-a-wish.
2) Watch the Moment a Guy Jumps Out of His Car to Give Umbrella to Couple Stuck in D.C. Downpour
In April, a random act of kindness in the Nation’s Capital inspired another driver to share his video of the Good Samaritan in action.
Not only did the driver go out of his way, jumping out into the rain to help provide some shelter for a stranger, the woman being drenched on the sidewalk used the umbrella to shelter a person in a wheelchair instead of herself.
3) High School Teens Swoop in to Support 6th Grade Stranger, When No One Would Sign His Yearbook
A sixth grader at a charter school in Colorado, was depressed and disgusted with himself because almost no one would sign his class yearbook.
After it broke his mother’s heart, she posted a photo to a school Facebook group, and was “overwhelmed with how much love and encouragement” she received from the parents.
Some of them showed their kids, who hatched a brilliant plan to uplift the younger student, which gave him a new empowering attitude about his life.
4) About to be Evicted, Woman Was Saved By Neighbors Who Bought the Home For Her
After being threatened with eviction, a 70-year-old retiree was able to buy the house she had rented for two decades after a quarter-million dollars was raised by the community on her behalf.
Known for having a heart of gold and a pair of green thumbs, Linda Taylor was a beloved neighbor in her Minneapolis community for 19 years, a volunteer who helped the homeless and needy as a “bright star”.
5) Sikh Gas Station Owner Sells Gas 50 Cents per Gallon Cheaper than What it Costs to Help Customers
In June, a Sikh man in Phoenix chose to lose hundreds of dollars a day by selling gasoline for 50 cents cheaper than what he paid for it—all to relieve pressured motorists.
Jaswiendre Singh praises God for his ability to help his neighbors.
“God gave me help. It doesn’t matter. We are not here to make money right now. I’m very happy to help the other people,” he told AZ Family.
Despite losing $500 per day, he and his wife are working longer hours in their store next to the pumps in order to make up the difference.
6) Burger King Worker of 27 Years Gets $270K From Strangers When They See Lack of Company Goodbye Gift
In July, social media got fired-up for Kevin Ford, a fast-food employee, who posted an Instagram video unwrapping a thank you gift he received for 27 years of perfect attendance on the job.
Seeing how it contained a reusable Starbucks cup, a bunch of candy, a pen, and a single movie ticket, they decided to give Ford their own gift for his exemplary service—$270,000 in personal donations for the man so near to retirement.
Let it be noted that in the original unwrapping video, Kevin was happy and grateful, saying “thank you” for every item he received in the gift bag.
7) Teen Finds Woman’s Purse and is Rewarded With $17,000 After He Delivers it to Her Door
In July, a 17-year-old teen in San Diego returned a purse left in a grocery store parking lot—and although he expected nothing in return, hundreds of strangers provided him with a big reward.
Adrian Rodriquez deliver the green handbag himself to the woman’s front door—and the home’s surveillance video was later used to track down the high school graduate to show him some love.
8) Mice Families Move into Dream Village Built By Gardener–And Are Hand Fed Flowers Everyday
In an example of inter-mammalian kindness, an Englishman created a wildlife area at the bottom of his garden to boost his nature photography—and that’s where he first found two families of mice.
They now have their own adorable hand-crafted homes and they’re hand-fed flowers each day. They even have their own pub! Check out the amazing photos and video here.
9) Southwest Airlines Workers Looked After a Passenger’s Pet Fish for 4 Months After it was Banned From Flight
In one of the most disrupted and difficult years in the history of aviation, a pair of Southwest Airline employees volunteered to become mom and dad to a stranger’s fish, after the passenger was told she could not embark with the animal.
The Southwest agent Ismael, and his fiancée Jamee, offered to take care of the fish so that she wouldn’t miss her flight.
10) Best Friends Win Million Dollar Lottery and Spread the Wealth in Hometown to Help Others
In an example of extra-territorial kindness, Canadian besties JoAnn MacQueen and Marlisa Mercer won a million dollars playing the lottery, and immediately decided to keep the good vibes rolling by giving heaps and heaps of it away to the community.
They gave fat checks to a bunch of charities in their hometown of Orillia, Ontario—and local news reports say they are making a huge difference.
Although the news media might cause you to forget, many people around the world had reasons to smile—by making others happy—in 2022.
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