15 Moving Acts of Generosity Proving That Kindness Will Win Over Coronavirus

When tragedy strikes, Americans unite and overcome. Often, that means acts of incredible generosity from those who can to benefit those who need a little extra help in challenging times. Being generous doesn’t always mean spending money, but it can also be giving of your time, talents or other resources to help those in need. These 15 stories below illustrate that during challenging times, kindness always wins. If you have a story of generosity and kindness during this difficult time, tell us at rd.com/nicest.

A birthday ride to remember

Dana Petrou wanted to make her son’s third birthday a memorable one, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. The week prior, she wrote a note to her neighbor with a huge army truck parked in his driveway, asking if he could drive the vehicle to her home for the truck-loving toddler’s big day. Although she and her son often rode their bikes by the vehicle to get a closer look, they’d never met its owner. A few days later, her neighbor, Tim, called to tell her he had received her note, but the tags on his truck were expired. Also, he wasn’t sure if it was driveable. But on the morning of her son’s birthday, the enormous truck rolled up to their home with Tim in the passenger seat and his friend behind the wheel. He hadn’t told Petrou that he is legally blind. She and her son rode around the neighborhood in the front seat of the massive vehicle. “I could not believe the lengths he was willing to go for a little boy he’s never even met,” she told Reader’s Digest. “He made my boy’s day!”

A captain goes beyond the call of duty

Captain Janell could simply clock in and out of her job with the Newton, Iowa, Salvation Army and still be doing more than most to help those in need. Instead, once the clock stops, she kicks into high gear. One day, she’s delivering goody bags filled with activity pages, candy and toys to children, along with words of encouragement. The next day, she’s surprising a neighbor with freshly baked cookies. Before the outbreak, she created “Sally’s Kids,” a Wednesday evening dinner and program for kids, and “Family Night,” an opportunity for families to gather at the Salvation Army on Monday nights for food and fellowship. “Captain is much loved by everyone in our community,” Linda Heimbuck told Reader’s Digest. “We all know we can count on her.”

Take a toilet paper, leave a toilet paper

At the start of the stay-at-home order, Michael Maher discussed with his two daughters the ways they could help those who wouldn’t have access to basic necessities. He, along with Kaitlyn, 24, and Maddison, 11, implemented a plan. They raided their pantry, packed up three folding tables and headed to an area park in Garden Grove, California. Each day, they fill the tables with canned and dried goods, paper towels, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, wipes, books, games and puzzles, among other items. Maddison created posters to hang behind the table that read “If U Need It Take It“ and “If you have it share it.” They set up at 9 a.m. and stay until 6 p.m. The next day, they’re ready to give donations to those needing assistance and receive items from others eager to share.

Hero doctor gets thanks from neighbors

As an infectious disease specialist, Dr. Jesica Herrick works not only with her patients but also with physicians who have become ill. She teaches infection control to the staff of a downtown hotel where homeless COVID-19 patients are housed and nurses are trained from around the country who have volunteered to help in Chicago. One night, when Dr. Herrick arrived home from another long shift at work, she found a note on her door signed by her Glenview, Illinois, neighbors. Along with their messages of thanks was a gift card to Grubhub.

The thousand-cookie marathon

If there is a record for the most cookies baked in two days, Neal Kloiber may have broken it. The self-described home baker from Reading, Pennsylvania, responded to a call from a local nursing home. They were requesting snacks other than pizza to provide to their nursing staff. By the end of his marathon baking session, from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 pm each day, Kloiber made 1,000 cookies for donation to two nursing homes. His desire to help goes back to his mother, father, two sisters, and three brothers working at one time or another in nursing facilities. “It took me three days just to find all the supplies I needed to bake,” said Kloiber. “But I loved every minute of it.” These bakeries are offering at-home baking kits right now.

Mother and daughter, mask crusaders

The coronavirus put Christine Gianni and her mother Charlotte’s housekeeping business on hold. Rather than idly wait to go back to work, the two began sewing masks and making them available at no charge to their Tiverton, Rhode Island community, and the surrounding communities. Each time they share a post about a new batch of masks, they are quickly claimed. At last count, the two have produced and distributed over 2,000 masks. “ I’m just so proud of my neighbors and friends and how they reached out,” Elaine Fleming told Reader’s Digest. Find out the 6 times you need to wear a mask — and the 3 times you don’t.

Food pantry just for pets

Heather Campbell, the owner of Bow Wow & Woofs, a local healthy dog store in Blaine, Washington, has consistently donated pet food to her local food bank. Determined to reach additional pet owners and provide pet food more days a week, she started the Mr. Kerry Pet Pantry for Pets in Need. She named her project after her late Cairn Terrier. Every day she wheels out a pantry filled with dog and cat foods for people to take, no questions asked. Her only request is that they take only what they need. In a short amount of time, Mr. Kerry's Pet Pantry has given away over 400 lbs of pet food. Can dogs get coronavirus?

A master of two skills teaches them both

Marcus C. Thomas was asked by the founder of Additional Needs, Inc. to create a painting tutorial for children and adults with additional needs. The artist broke his neck in a snow skiing accident when he was 26 years old, leaving him paralyzed from the shoulders down. Thomas creates beautiful paintings using a plastic tube with a paintbrush attached. He wanted to give back and to give hope to others, so he accepted the organization’s challenge. His sister-in-law filmed the instructional video from Thomas’s Weaverville, North Carolina, home, and he enlisted his nephew to handle the editing. “Of course, you don’t have to paint with your mouth,” the artist advised on his website, “but if you want to try....” 

Halloween comes early this year

Halloween is still several months away, but that didn’t stop a group of fun-loving friends from pulling costumes out of their closets. Late one Sunday afternoon, a unicorn, sumo wrestler, dinosaur, shark, a giraffe, and a host of familiar characters paraded through a Cleveland Heights, Ohio, neighborhood. The group wanted to bring a splash of color to the neighborhood and provide their neighbors with a distraction from the coronavirus. The uninhibited residents danced, cheered, and took pictures with bystanders encouraging their efforts. “Seeing them just clonking around in their costumes was exactly what our neighborhood needed,” Cataline Maddox-Wagers told Reader’s Digest.