|
"Do not take lightly small good deeds, believing they can hardly help. For drops of water, one by one, in a time can fill a giant pot.” --Patrul Rinpoche [trans. Joseph Goldstein]
Hello! Research shows that our compassion can actually fade or collapse as the number of people in need increases. However, when people feel their actions can have a positive impact, they reach out regardless of the numbers, in loving and supportive ways. In this week’s stories, a kind stranger pays for a woman’s prescription, children in Australia donate their pocket money to help flood victims and a Polish social club is flooded with donations for Ukrainian refugees… And little by little and drop by drop, lives are changed.
|
|
Mirek Pruchnicki | Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
|
A Polish social club in London, the White Eagle, has been filled to the rafters with donated goods after launching a fundraising appeal to help those fleeing Ukraine. The response was so enthusiastic that people lined up waiting for up to 1.5 hours to drop off their donations and more than 100 volunteers were sorting the donations. Magda, the organizer, originally thought there would be one or two trucks and she would pay for it herself, but the flood of donations means they are loading truck after truck. The emphasis is on high quality donations. Ukrainians have lost everything, Magda says, so "I don't want them to lose their dignity by offering something that we don't want."
Read Full Story.
|
|
Cottonbro | Pexels
|
Cheryl Andrews recently booked an Airbnb stay for April in Kyiv -- currently under siege by invading Russian troops. But she doesn't actually plan to visit. She and other Canadians have been booking stays as a way to financially support those under siege. "I saw somebody say, 'Here's a great way to reach out directly to a person in Ukraine. Not so much give them money but let them know people are hearing this, this is a world-wide issue,'" she said. Hungarian Krisztin Vajon heard about the idea on Twitter and booked his stay with a man named Yuri who tried returning the money. "I said, 'No, no, don't, it's nothing fake in it. I don't [plan] to obviously go there next weekend, and then he was super happy about it." Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky tweeted that from March 2 to 3, more than 61,000 bookings were made in Ukraine. Airbnb will temporarily waive guest and host fees in Ukraine. "That's $1.9 M going to hosts in need," Chesky said. "Such a cool idea from our community."
Read Full Story.
|
|
Tbel Abuseridze | Unsplash
|
A woman in Manchester, England, was left speechless by a stranger's random act of kindness. Channel Wilson had gone to the ASDA superstore to pick up a prescription but her card was declined. When her Apple Watch also wouldn't work, a customer behind her offered to pay the bill. Channel said she would repay the woman by transferring the money, but the woman refused. "She didn't even know the amount of the prescription it could have been multiple items. It was one but she didn't know that and was willing to pay for my whole bill." Wilson said, "I just couldn't believe how generous and kind she was."
Read Full Story.
|
|
Anfaenger | Pixabay
|
In 1950, global plastic production was 2 million tons. This number soared to nearly 400 million tons in 2017, with more than 12 million making its way into ocean waters. As a first of its kind, representatives from 175 countries came together in Kenya to forge an international agreement addressing plastic waste. The treaty details the life cycle of plastic from its production to its disposal, as well as aiming to reduce plastic pollution. "Today marks a triumph by planet earth over single-use plastics," Inger Andersen, executive director of the U.N. Environment Program. "It is an insurance policy for this generation and future ones, so they may live with plastic and not be doomed by it."
Read Full Story.
|
|
Volunteers Tanis, Anthony and Kyle ferry stranded essential workers across Gympie's Deep Creek. Mal Dodt | ABC News
|
Residents of south-east Queensland, Australia are facing a daunting period after record-breaking floods.From saving the life of a stricken platypus to one town's extraordinary plan to transport essential workers, from children donating pocket money and a stranded trucker delivering food; the kindness of neighbors and strangers has shone through the devastation left by the deluge. One volunteer said, "My kids went out yesterday and spent $500 on coloring books and pencils out of their own pocket money [to give to kids impacted by the floods]."
Read Full Story.
|
|
|
