Wickedly Wonderful Acts of Kindness by Jill Piscitello #PayItForward #WickedWednesday

WICKED WEDNESDAY

I have a wonderfully wicked guest post for you today. How about wickedly good? Please welcome, Jill Piscitello, and her great ideas.

A finite list of kind acts doesn’t exist.  Below are a few simple ideas to positively impact another person’s life. 

Extracurricular Activities:

Consider sponsoring an extracurricular activity or donating new or used equipment for a student in need.  Countless benefits impact children who participate in after school activities including team building skills, responsibility, and increased self-confidence.  Sports, dance, gymnastics, theater, and music lessons are just a few options that may have a lasting positive impact.

Senior Living:

Do you have a skill or talent to share? Days can be long and monotonous for long term care residents.  Think about the joy you could bring to someone’s day by playing the piano, guitar, and or singing.  Seniors enjoy crafts such as jewelry making, flower arranging, and other activities that inspire creativity.  Trivia and other games are always welcome.

Perhaps you are not comfortable speaking to a group of people.  Entertainment comes in many forms.  Reading material is often limited.  Consider donating used books, magazine subscriptions, or newspaper subscriptions.  My experience has shown that many residents are not using electronic reading devices.  But newspapers are voraciously read and shared.  Many nursing homes show a movie during the week and welcome donated DVDs.  Add a tray of cookies or pastries and turn an ordinary day into something special. 

Beyond the Holiday Toy Drive:

The holidays bring many toy donations to various charities.  Your local Veteran’s Association and Big Brother Big Sister organizations are wonderful places to send gently used clothing.  Consider the list below when thinking outside the box for donations to homeless shelters, etc.  Your help is needed all year—not only during the month of December when toy drives are publicized.

Character Sheets – A child spending his or her first night in a homeless shelter may find some small measure of comfort in a bed with clean sheets depicting a favorite superhero or cartoon character. 

General Bedding – Blankets, plain sheets, pillows, and pillowcases are in high demand. 

Diapers and Wet Wipes – It goes without saying that diapers are expensive.  A mother with limited cash flow may be forced to ration her baby’s diapers.  Imagine the level of discomfort and resulting rashes. 

Hygiene Products

·        Soap

·        Shampoo

·        Razors

·        Shaving Cream

·        Toothbrushes

·        Toothpaste

·        Deodorant

·        Socks

·        Underwear

·        Feminine Products 

New Hats and Mittens – Secondhand clothes in good condition are gladly accepted by most people regardless of their financial situation.  Your child wore that suit once and now it doesn’t fit?  Sure, we’ll take it!  Used hats and mittens?  Not so much.  By the end of a winter season, hats have been sitting on sweaty heads and gloves/mittens are filthy from their travels.  These items are inexpensive and should be donated with tags still attached.

 Additional Suggestions

·        New pajamas

·        Gently used clothing

·        Snack items bought in bulk (such as boxes of granola bars from Costco)

·        Cleaning supplies

·        Monetary donations

·        Volunteer your time 

Thank you, Jill. Now let's hear about your book, Homemakers' Christmas.

A recent error in judgement has deposited Cricket Williams, her daughter, and a son spiking a high fever into a homeless shelter. A touch of Christmas magic is sprinkled upon her family when an eccentric volunteer invites them into her New England farmhouse. Blindsided with the proposition of a contractual living arrangement, Cricket is seized with renewed hope for her future. 

Boris Glynn is in town visiting his grandmother but harbors a secret that will impact her life and the lives of his dearest friends. Complications arise when he is unable to restrain himself from pursuing his grandmother’s beautiful new neighbor. 

As Cricket begins to succumb to Boris’s attention, her new world is shaken by a series of events that have the potential to destroy her plans for a fresh start. 

Buy Links:  Amazon Kindle ~ Amazon Print ~ Nook~  Smashwords~ Kobo~ Apple IBooks 

Find Jill here on her social media links:

Website ~ Twitter  ~ Facebook ~  Instagram