National Random Acts of Kindness Day

Get ready to celebrate National Random Acts of Kindness Day, on February 17^th, 2020. This holiday celebrates a day of being kind to those around you. Although it is not a formal national holiday, it should still be celebrated!

This day encourages people to be extra kind to those around them, and to “pay it forward” to others. There are many things that you can do on this day to help celebrate. Listed below are some ideas to get you started so you can participate in National Random Acts of Kindness Day!

Pay for Someone:

When you’re in waiting in line at a fast food restaurant or just getting your morning coffee, a simple act of kindness could be to pay for the meal or coffee of the person behind you in line. This is something that could set a chain reaction throughout the day and is a simple way to show kindness.

Compliment the First Three People You See:

Whether you’re at work, school, or just walking through the store, compliment the first three people (or more) that you see. Although this may seem like something super simple, some people might not hear compliments often and this is something that could really make their day. This is an act of kindness that costs no money at all.

Donate Needed Items:

Taking the time to go to your local shelters and drop off any needed items could really make a difference in many people’s (or animals) lives. Animal shelters, foster home agencies, food pantries, or homeless shelters are just a few examples of places that you could take things to. Any donation would be greatly appreciated no matter where you go.

Let Someone Go Ahead of You in Line:

When you’re getting your groceries for the week and you notice the person behind you has only a couple items when you have a whole cart full, let them go ahead of you. This is another thing that costs you no money and is quite simple but could really make someone’s day.

Offer to Help:

Offering to help someone out could mean a lot of different things. One example is offering to help carry something for someone who seems has their hands full. If you see someone struggling to carry all their groceries to their car, offer to help them! Even just holding the door open for someone could help them out greatly. This is another act of kindness that costs no money and is very simple to do.

These random acts of kindness are just a few of many things that could be done to help brighten someone’s day. Although this isn’t a national holiday, it doesn’t take a lot to be kind to the people around you and could really make a difference in someone’s life. Even the smallest acts of kindness like smiling at the people around you or holding the door open for someone can go a long way.

Author, Samantha Potocnik
Samantha is an intern at EVOLVE and a student at University of Wisconsin River Falls.

What are some other simple ways you show kindness? Share them with us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for February 17th – National Random Acts of Kindness Day!