Acts of Kindness | Coats for Homeless Inaugural Good Deed

by Heather James

Last week, when temps dipped to some of their lowest yet this winter, we collected and delivered dozens of coats, sweaters and blankets to the Atlanta Day Shelter at the Atlanta Mission.

It was the inaugural “good deed” in a new initiative here at Cook & James that we’re calling the “Acts of Kindness Jar.” If you visit our office, you’ll see that jar perched prominently in our reception area. We simply ask for people to submit ideas for ways we can spread kindness. You just write your idea on a small card and we’ll draw one idea each month and carry it out – or “fulfill” the wish. You can read the whole story behind the initiative in a news release here.

Our friend Joan Giles of The Giles Group Atlanta submitted the idea to collect coats for the homeless which kicked off our Acts of Kindness Jar campaign last Thursday and Friday. (Check the photos of mounds of coats and us hauling them to cars to deliver downtown.)

The label on the jar reads: “Never stop doing little things for others. Sometimes those little things occupy the biggest parts of their hearts.” And indeed, kindness is near and dear to us here at Cook & James. I honestly feel like you don’t have to agree with someone to show kindness and especially today, I see so much UN-kindness in our world that our differences are driving us apart. I believe we can reverse that tide, learn from and even celebrate each other’s differences … if we just practice kindness.

The Acts of Kindness Jar is our small but important step.

So, we invite everyone – employees, real estate agents, brokers and anyone who visits our office – to join our initiative. We think other future Acts of Kindness could be working in a food pantry, cleaning crates at an animal shelter, walking in cancer awareness events or sorting clothes at a foster child closet. But the sky’s the limit … and we are certain our collaborators and colleagues have unlimited imagination when it comes to kindness. Bring on the ideas.