As the old adage goes, kindness is one of the only things that doubles when you share it.
One Kiwi charity is taking on the challenge of sharing it nationwide.
The Kindness Collective, run by founder Sarah Page, has been conducting local acts of kindness since its inception in 2014: Filling up community supermarkets, providing groceries to families in need, setting up safe houses for victims of domestic violence... the list goes on.
But now it's going large, hoping to raise $100,000 in two weeks in an effort to support 100 acts of kindness occurring across Aotearoa over the next 12 months.
Page told Newshub the enormous feat would only be achieved with help from the public through donations, volunteering or, of course, both.
"We need the help of everybody and anybody," she said. "We want people to head to the website to donate, we want people to volunteer their time.
"Our teams are ready in Auckland, Hamilton, Taupō, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and everywhere in between to deliver 100 acts of kindness over the next 12 months!"
So what constitutes an act of kindness? Things are kicking off in early September with a new community garden being built to help feed local families, but the full list includes acts like:
- Buying warm winter PJs for children in low decile schools and early childhood education centres
- Supporting whānau in need with groceries, fill up community supermarkets and food pantries
- Bringing Christmas kindness to life for thousands of families with presents and food for Christmas Day
- Building community book libraries and filling them up with new, beautiful books
- Providing 'wishes' for children with illness, disabilities and under Social Services
- Supporting sports clubs with gear and uniforms in communities that don't have access to them
- Providing children with sports, dance and music classes who couldn't otherwise afford it
- Building outdoor play equipment for children with disabilities in special education schools
- Giving Women's Refuge safe houses and gardens a makeover
- Supporting low-decile schools and ECE Centres with school trips for education and entertainment
"We know just how rough 2020 was for a lot of people in New Zealand and kindness is needed more than ever, so we want to remind the nation that a little bit of kindness goes a really long way," says Page.
There are a myriad of reasons we should all act with kindness, she said.
"Kindness not only releases endorphins and makes the giver feel good, but it also makes the receiver feel good, and it inspires those who witness it to do good themselves.
"It has a big flow-on effect of goodness all around you!"
She may have a vested interest, but she's not wrong.
According to Mayo Clinic, "kindness has been shown to increase self-esteem, empathy and compassion, and improve mood".
"It can decrease blood pressure and cortisol, a stress hormone, which directly impacts stress levels," the US medical centre's website states.
And in this case, it can make a huge difference in the life of many people around the county.
For more information on Kindness Collective's '#100actsofkindess' campaign, check out the official website, or donate through the GiveALittle page.
