In 2019, a Florida business owner by the name of Michael Esmond wanted to help out struggling members of his community, Gulf Breeze, by paying the utility bills of 36 households. This year, Esmond felt the need to up the ante with both Hurricane Sally and the Covid-19 pandemic … [Read more...] about Giving season: Business owner pays overdue utility bills for 114 families
People helping people
Chicago couple uses wedding deposits to feed their community
The pandemic has brought weddings to a screeching halt. When Chicago couple Emily Bugg and Billy Lewis canceled their big bash, they decided to use the catering and venue deposits to do some good in their community. The couple asked their caterer to take the $5,000 deposit … [Read more...] about Chicago couple uses wedding deposits to feed their community
This study gave homeless people $5,660 each. The results are beautiful
In 2018, a Vancouver-based charitable organization called Foundations for Social Change started a groundbreaking research project that gave cash payments of $7,500 CAD ($5,660 USD) to 50 homeless people. The idea was to check on recipients over the course of a year to see how … [Read more...] about This study gave homeless people $5,660 each. The results are beautiful
Community fridges are thriving in the age of Covid
In June, we published a story about the emergence of community fridges around New York City. The premise is simple: community members store food in a publicly-accessible fridge, and anyone can come and take what they want and leave what they don’t. The people who came up with … [Read more...] about Community fridges are thriving in the age of Covid
Landlord cancels rent for 3 months and tells tenants to spend money locally
Although the coronavirus pandemic has put many of us into thorny life situations, it’s been incredible to see the powerful acts of shared humanity coming from unlikely heroes. The latest example of this comes from New Jersey, where a landlord by the name of David Placek recently … [Read more...] about Landlord cancels rent for 3 months and tells tenants to spend money locally