Here are examples of acts of kindness from around the world. We add more to our Facebook page daily.

Their cumulative message is: you don’t have to be rich to perform a kindness – and they are as heart-warming to receive as to give.

“Thank you kindly for our breakfast treat”

From Gareth, Brighton, UK: “Four times a year my wife and I take our 4 kids to Bills, a local cafe, to celebrate their birthdays. After enjoying our 9-year old son’s latest birthday breakfast we were astonished to be told by the staff that a couple who had been sitting near us had already paid for our meal – and had done so anonymously and left. It was a beautiful gesture which meant a lot to us and we’d love to be able to say thank you in person – but that wasn’t what they wanted. Perhaps sharing this story is a small way to say thanks. The experience has led to some great discussions with our kids about kindness and generosity and also given them and us a chance to think about other ways we can give back. So thank you to our wonderful breakfast benefactors – you made our weekend!”

“Kindness can be spreading a little loveliness”

From Carolyn, Staffordshire, UK: “In the summer I like to take my dog for a walk in the countryside near where we live. Annoyed by the way others just dumped their rubbish in such a lovely place, I now rescue it whenever I pass that way. I also thought how lovely it would be to see more wild flowers down this lane. So I have scattered goodness knows how many packets of wild flower seeds, particularly flowers that attract bees, butterflies and other insects. I am so excited to see these flowers when they appear and hope others appreciate them too. This lane is about a mile and a half long so in my opinion it will be a mile and a half of beauty.

“To make someone smile is thanks enough”

From Henrique in Brazil: “Some years ago when I was at college, I used to find a small origami bird in one place or another on the campus most days. I never thought about them until they stopped appearing and that intrigued me. After some research with teachers and the caretaker I discovered that the guy who used to make them had graduated and left. When I met up with him, he told me why he left the origami birds that way: ‘If it brightens someone’s day.. If it causes even the smallest of the smiles, my life is complete and my duty is fulfilled.’”

“One cute gift of kindness leads to another!”

From Tara in Minnesota, USA: Because it’s difficult for delivery trucks to turn around in my driveway, I have a green box that says “please leave all deliveries here” by the end of my driveway. Today when I walked out to check the mail I saw that there was something in the deliveries box. It was a Dr. Seuss book with a note that said simply: “I am giving away books for free. Please read this book. Then give away a book for free. But you don’t have to.“ How cute is that? I will definitely be giving at least one book away too continue it, probably by leaving them at a local park with the same note attached.

“A stranger kindly helped me – now I’m helping a stranger myself”

From David in Nairobi, Kenya: Someone I had never met paid for my university school fees and now I am employed. I am planning to do the same thing to someone else.

Kindness simply gives a lift

Vincent A. from La Feria, Texas, USA: One day I went to our local supermarket to buy food. As I was about to drive out of the car park, I saw a lady in her 70s. I asked her if she needed help loading the bags into her car. But she told me that she didn’t have a car, and that she was walking home. I offered her a ride home, and helped her take her bags into her house. I believe it lifted her heart – I know it lifted mine.

“It’s exciting to be kind!”

eBook Club from Christchurch, New Zealand: Our Club students are still buzzing about their kindness activities. They created bookmarks with inspirational messages and secretly placed them into random books around our local Library just to make other book borrowers smile. We also handed little chocolate gifts to strangers to brighten their days – and organised a gift drive that resulted in over 200 books, watches, t-shirts and diaries donated to a local primary school.

Cue for kindness

Debbie from Birmingham, UK: The other day I was in the queue in a supermarket waiting to pay for my shopping. When it came to my turn I quickly realised that I couldn’t find my card to pay with. I began to panic and continued frantically searching in my bag….looking to see a huge queue building behind me. Suddenly the man behind me in the queue pulled out a note and said…”don’t worry…I’ll get this.” I did finally manage to find my card and said that there was no need…but thanked him for the kind gesture!

“My kindness watch”

Bill from Michigan, USA: I am a 44 year old man. I go to a Clubhouse for people with mental health issues. Some people who come here live on a very tight income and so they cannot afford lunch – which most of us take for granted. I will watch and if I see someone that is not eating on a regular basis. I will share my food or even go as far as buy them a frozen dinner that they can heat up in the microwave. It makes me feel good inside as I am helping one of God’s people in need so that they too can enjoy a nutritious meal.

Kindness in the rain

Niki from Philadelphia, USA: It was raining so hard that there were flash floods. My umbrella was rickety but still holding up. I saw an older woman about 70 years old (I’m only 40 myself). Her umbrella had blown inside out and she was holding one side down to try to shield herself from the rain. I gave her my umbrella and told her that I don’t mind the rain. We shared a smile and I watched her walk off.

Kindness adds brightness anywhere

Nadia Orduno from Roswell, New Mexico: After my twin sister’s wedding, me and another bridesmaid took all the left-over flowers to a little old cemetery and placed them on tombs that looked sad and abandoned.

Lessons in kindness

Anna in Santiago, Chile: I took on a new cello student even though he could only pay a percentage of my usual fee – because if he had to pay the full amount, his parents would not have let him take lessons with me. He is only 10 years old and so excited to have a “real teacher”!

“Strangers paid for us to have a baby”

Bryan and Lisa Heine from Illinois, USA: After eight years of trying for a baby – including three failed IVF cycles – in 2011 we turned to a crowd-funding website to see if we could raise £3,500 ($6,000) to pay for an egg donor. To our amazement we received the money in just four months, in 43 donations, all from complete strangers and ranging from $10 to $500. In September that year Lisa received the most thrilling news – she was pregnant, and on Cloud Nine!

“A stranger looked out for us”

Peter D’Costa from London, UK : My wife Rose and I went to a religious shop in Westminster to buy some gifts. On our return to the car my wife, who is noticeably disabled, saw a parking ticket tucked behind the windscreen and the traffic warden walking away. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to display her disabled parking permit when leaving our car in the bay for disabled people. I was apologising for my oversight – when a smartly dressed lady approached us saying that she had seen the traffic warden writing the ticket and having seen my wife’s disabled sticker on the rear window had waited for our return. She explained that it was an “Act of Kindness Day” and she was going to pay our fine. When my wife told her the fine was £65 she pulled out three £20 notes and a £10 note and gave it to her – saying that the extra £5 was to have a coffee – then simply walked away. We are in a state of disbelief that in this day and age, when there is so much crime about, that there are still some lovely people in this world. Over the years we have raised money for various charities ourselves and it was strange having the tables turned on us.

Kindness can motivate a business, too

Ronni Kahn from Sydney, Australia: While running her events-management company Ronni Kahn became dismayed at the amount of food she wasted. Aware that other organizations must be wasting food, too, she created OzHarvest, a not-for-profit organization that rescues food and delivers it to people in need. There is a real demand for her idea: one in 200 Australians is homeless and 60,000 low-income working families regularly go without meals. Yet Australians between them throw away over 3 million tonnes of food – 136kg per person – every year. With sponsorship from a leading bank and links to many other organizations, OzHarvest now delivers 160 tonnes of perishable food a month, with help from volunteers from supermarkets, hotels and catering companies, proving that Ronni’s act of kindness has stimulated many more people to perform acts of kindness with her, and so fulfilling the promise on her website: “Great joy knowing that you give 120 meals a year to people in need.”

Have you or another person benefited from – or performed – an act of kindness? Set an example: tell the world through Kindness Connects about your kindness experience.  Either contact us, or get in touch via our Facebook page.