Mackenzie, aka June Bug,
held her 2nd (she decided today should be annual) Hot Cocoa Stand
today. June Bug is 6 now – lost her
front teeth and the adult ones have peeked through. She is a bundle of positivity, energy, kindness,
and love.
The event was 2
hours. Guests were greeted by several
young volunteers and told to start at the MUG TABLE. There, they could choose whichever of the
donated mugs they would like. Next up, the
cocoa table, where young helpers would fill the cups with hot, tasty chocolate. Then over to the topping table where the
amazing Lori presented people with very fancy and unique toppings to
complete their cocoa. Most guests also
made their way to the snack table, which featured all kinds of delights,
including some homemade hot cocoa cookies and Rice Krispie treats from Lisa and
her amazing daughter Marin. And Mac (of the
infamous Mac’s Donuts) brought loads of fresh donuts.
 |
| Choose your mug |
 |
| Snacks, snacks, and more snacks |
 |
| Did someone say – toppings? |
The sun was shining. The rain that had threatened only dropped
about a dozen drops as we were setting up.
And the wind – well that was steady enough that the planned fire in the fire
pit had to be scrapped (but not before some enterprising youngsters got their
marshmallows toasted and made smores).
It was so busy!! People started coming at exactly 2 pm and
kept flowing through until after our planned closing. So many were there to support not only
Kindness Activist, but JUNE BUG. Her
neighbors. Her friends. Her TEACHER (which she was very excited
about).
Kids ran around. They played on the teeter totter/see
saw. They held up signs that other
children had made to coax passing cars to honk and/or pull over for cocoa. There was laughter. There were smiles. And there was kindness. So. Much. Kindness.
During gatherings like
this I often feel guilty, because with all of the setting up and managing and
chatting, the pantry gets ignored. It is
simply impossible to do it all. But a pantry
crew member who attended, Teresa, kindly came up to me and asked if she could fill
the pantry after she finished her cocoa.
Even while celebrating the beautiful day, she remembered pantry guests.
Kind drivers saw kids
holding signs, including one that said HONK FOR COCOA. And they responded. They smiled and waved. They honked.
Some parked and joined in. And a few
even rolled down their windows and gave cash donations, no cocoa involved.
I didn’t witness this kind
act, but two people who did told me the story as we were finishing up and I got
goosebumps. They said that a guest came
and donated $50. But it was not for her
cocoa. No, she paid for that separately. This was a $50 bill she had found on the sidewalk. She explained that she had picked it up and
hollered to the person she assumed had dropped it, but they assured her it was
not theirs. So, she decided that she
would use that found money to do something kind. And she did – by donating it to Kindness
Activist today.
And people HELPED. Kids made great signs. Neighbors donated 113 mugs for us to use. Lisa
and Marin worked very hard to clean chairs and then in the basement kitchen to
keep the cocoa flowing. Kasey and June
Bug helped set everything up. Kids helped
serve cocoa and take donations. Kids
stood proudly with signs to greet passersby (including little John, who held a
sign he had made that was illegible. He
was SO PROUD to hold it up to cars and holler, “Cocoa for sale!!!”). People stayed to help clean it all up. So. Much. Help.
 |
| Look at John’s sign! He made it himself |
 |
| One man came up and told me he pulled over and came to join in because he saw these two sweeties |
Mid-event, I stood on a
chair and announced that it was going to be one young helper, Oliver, birthday
tomorrow. And with no hesitation that
whole crowd lifted their voices and sang Happy Birthday to him as he stood and
smiled, taking it all in. Then another
little boy came up and told me quietly that it was his birthday in one month… So, I got back up on the chair and asked if we
should sing to Nate, too, and the answer was YES. Cue another round of the song.
I recognized one young
guest, but was not sure who he was. You know
the feeling – you know that you know the person, but how?? I found out soon enough when he came over and
started talking about that time he gave me one of his gifts from Santa Claus –
a Chuppa Chuppa Melody Pop.
Ahhhhh – it was
Gianni! I wrote a story about him when I
met him that day back in December. He came
to pick up his gift from Santa and sat right down on our front steps to open
it. He was so happy! Read his letter from Santa straight
away. Shared the whole experience with
me, and I loved it.
He was so happy to be here
today. We talked about his Christmas
gifts – I asked if he had made the bubblegum in the science kit Santa gave
him. Yes he did –the flavors were watermelon
and orange, and it worked great! He also
used the invisible ink pen he got from the North Pole. And he used it to WRITE A THANK YOU NOTE to
Santa! Isn’t that the sweetest? Gianni and I held signs by the road and had a
great time. Once, as I was walking
around chatting with people, he came up to me and said very quietly, “I am
going to talk to YOU the rest of the time that I am here”. Heart.
Melt.
And the kindness didn’t
stop when the event was over.
We offered the leftover
cocoa and donuts in our local Buy Nothing group. As we sat outside and waited for people to
come, a pantry guest who I suspect does not have housing that I had seen walk
by earlier in the day came by again. I
offered them cocoa, just as I had earlier.
But this time they accepted, and explained that they had been in a rush
to get to the library before it closed the first time they came by. After we talked a bit, I went downstairs and
brought up food for them from the pantry stock that I know they like. And because of recent donations, we had great
things to give them.
The woman who got the leftover
donuts from Buy Nothing, Jessica, came to pick them up. She was excited because she had always wanted
to try Mac’s donuts but never had. After
she left, I found out that she passed the pantry on the way back to her car and
saw a mom and daughter there getting food.
Jessica did the kindest thing – she stopped and shared those donuts with
the girl.
It just felt like kindness
begat kindness begat kindness all day today.
It was amazing. My feet are
tired, but my heart is full. Very full.
June Bug and I will meet
to brainstorm ways to use the money she raised today. One thing is certain – she wants to buy some fancy
stuffed animals (I think they are called Pets Alive) for kids at Children’s National
Hospital. I am sure we will find other
creative and fun ways to spread kindness.
I will share the total collected
here, but today was about so much more than fundraising. It was about community. And diversity. And togetherness. And support.
And KINDNESS.
Today was about love.
Total raised: $1063.79
Isn’t that amazing?
Thank you to everyone who
helped out. To everyone who drank
cocoa. To everyone who donated.
And thanks to JUNE
BUG. Who inspires us all to be more
inquisitive and thoughtful people.
