By Kathy Hagen, data assets associate, for our Random Acts of Kindness blog series

When I heard about Hamacher’s Random Acts of Kindness Challenge my first thought was, “What a great idea!” My next thoughts were, “What should I do? When should I do it? How should I do it?” Then I told myself, “Just be patient – you’ll know the right opportunity when you see it.”

Not long after that, I was at the grocery store and saw the barrels by the entrances where customers could place donations for a food pantry.  I remembered a story my mother had told me.

She was born during the Depression and grew up during World War II. Her family lived through hard times and food rationing. Yet, she had told me that she never felt poor and was never hungry. Mom felt relatives had helped her immediate family financially, but she never knew it at the time. Although my brother and I grew up during more prosperous times, I realized my parents had always worked hard to ensure we had everything we needed too.

Right there in the grocery store I realized what I wanted to do – help families keep their children well fed, just as my grandparents and parents had done for their children. With the $30 HRG had given each of the participants, I picked out a variety of staple foods and put them in the donation barrel. It took only a few minutes of my time and has made me feel good ever since, as well as grateful for my own good fortune.

I shared with my mother what I did and why. She was happy and honored to hear that indirectly she was able to help someone she’ll never meet.