Good Deed Day

Today's post is very close to my heart.

One of my best friends, Laura, who I am running the Seattle Marathon with, lost her sister, Emily, when we were freshmen in college. Emily was an amazing young woman who did volunteer work all over the country and the world. She truly embodied the idea of "you must be the change you wish to see in the world." 

Laura and her family are some of the most generous, kind, and loving people I have ever met. I feel truly blessed to call Laura a friend. As a way to honor and remember Emily, Laura's family came up with the idea to do a good deed on November 8, the anniversary of Emily's passing. (What an amazing idea-- I am telling you this family is incredible!!).  Her family also established a foundation in Emily's name. You can learn more about Emily and the foundation here.

"In the midst of tragedy comes opportunity. Emily was a positive influence on all of us and it is our hope that she continues to be so.  It is our hope that we can all benefit from this community of Emily’s friends and family, and that we can bear her loss in a hopeful manner."

On the first Good Deed Day, Laura and I and several of our other college friends gathered to do a good deed or two. We collected canned food and took it our local food bank. We also bought flowers, bagels, and other fresh food items. We handed the flowers out to anyone that would take them, and we gave the fresh food and bagels to a group of people we always saw asking for money and/or food near our school.

This day was one of my favorite college memories. The look on people's faces when we handed them a flower was priceless, and I will never forget how thankful the group of people were that received the food. Doing good deeds on or around November 8 is a tradition among our group of friends and it is still going strong.  

The message of Good Deed Day has spread and many people do a good deed on or around November 8 in Emily's memory and honor. For example, Laura's family friend is a teacher and she tells her students all about Emily's life and her volunteer work and encourages each student to do a good deed on or around November 8. Each student reports back with his or her good deed. Her students are always excited to do good deeds or what they call "Emily things."

I am going to do a good deed this weekend. My friends and I plan to get together and go grocery shopping for non-perishable food items and then we will donate these items to our local food bank. We will also buy some flowers and hand them out to random people because that is just too much fun and sort of a tradition now.

I would like to encourage everyone to do a good deed around or on November 8th. Your good deed can be in honor of Emily, in the memory of someone you have lost, or simply to give back to your community during the holiday season.

Here are some ideas for good deeds. Not everything involves giving to a charitable organization or a huge time commitment. Some good deeds can just be making someone's day a little better or brighter.

• Donate to a local food bank. According to Washington Hunger Facts, 1 in 5 children live in a household that struggles to put food on the table. This fact is alarming, especially considering how much food is wasted each day. To donate to a local food bank, you can either go grocery shopping and then donate that food, or you can do a quick pantry survey and donate some non-perishable food items that are already in your home. You can also make monetary donations to most food banks.
• Have a "donate dinner." This is not something that I have done yet, but I really, really want to do this around Christmas time. To have what I am calling a "donate dinner," the host invites a group of people over for a dinner party or just a regular party, but instead of asking people to BYOB or to bring an appetizer, the host asks guests to spend that money on non-perishable food items that can be donated to a food bank. Then after the dinner the host donates all the items collected to the local food bank. Since people will not be bringing food or appetizers, the host also must make sure there is plenty of both for everyone at the party. 
• Hand out flowers. It is just fun to make people smile. Be safe about this one. Always do it in a group and never force a flower on someone (obviously).
• Donate blankets, coats, or other clothing items to a homeless shelter. Call ahead to find out what the organization needs and will accept. For those that live in the Seattle/Washington area, click here to learn more about where to donate items. 
• Pick up litter or trash. You can do this one as you are walking to work or completing your running route. Just maybe bring some gloves and hand sanitizer. 
• Pay for someone's coffee. I have had this happen to me and it is the BEST! (maybe that is a little dramatic) But really, it is so nice to pull up to the window and have the barista tell you that  your coffee is already paid for. If this happens to you, pay it forward! 
• Smile at people as you walk by. Super simple, but you would be amazed at how much this can make someone's day. 
• Donate money to a charitable organization of your choosing. 
• Call a friend or relative that you haven't talked to in a while. 
• Plant a tree or help spruce up a community garden or park. 
• Donate your time or items to a local animal shelter. I recently moved and found a bunch of supplies from when Baker was a puppy. I was able to donate most of them to my local animal shelter.  
• Make sandwiches and bring them to people that you see asking for money/food on the street. If this makes you nervous or uncomfortable, bring a friend or do it in a group and always trust your gut. But truly, this act is so simple and makes a huge impact. 
• Tip your barista and/or server more than you normally would.  
• Sponsor a Thanksgiving basket. I did this in law school. It was really fun. Depending on the organization, they will give you a description of the family that you are sponsoring and what they might need. Then you get to go shopping for them! This is best to do with a group and it's so much fun to put it all together.  Click here to learn about sponsoring a family in the Seattle area. 
• Download the Charity Miles app and go for a run or walk for a cause. I discovered the Charity Miles app through Tone It Up's website and their Fit for Fall Charity challenge. The Charity Miles app is such an amazing idea! Basically, businesses will sponsor you and donate to different charitable organizations for every mile that you run or walk. I have been using this since the middle of September. I have logged over 180 miles resulting in over $45 donated to different charitable organizations. I primarily have my donations go to the Alzheimer's Association, but there are several different charities to choose from. 
• Donate to the Emily Sandall Foundation.  The Foundation provides support to a school in Nepal where Emily volunteered and worked when she was in college. The Foundation's support ensures that children have access to free education as an alternative to child labor. The Foundation also provides scholarships to girls in Guatemala so that they can attend middle and high school.  To learn more about the Foundation's scholarship program in Guatemala click here. I will be donating to the Foundation on November 8, and would greatly encourage anyone who can to do the same. 

If you have any other good deed ideas please post them in the comments below! Also, if you do a good deed on or around November 8 please let me know in the comments or runninginteralia@gmail.com and I will share your story with Laura and her family!

Thank you for stopping by!

With love, 
Alyssa 
@runninginteralia