By Cheryl Mahoney
Is there anything better than a “random act of kindness” story? How about one that ignites a movement to feed the hungry? That’s the story of The 93 Dollar Club.
It all started in the check-out line at a grocery store. Carolee Hazard was in line, when the woman in front of her realized that she’d lost her wallet. That meant she didn’t have any way to pay for her cart full of groceries. And, as The San Jose Mercury article about the story put it, “without thinking much about it, [Carolee] charged the stranger’s bill — $207.29 — on her own credit card.” How often do you hear about something thoughtless that’s a good thing? Imagine if we all just helped one another without even debating or weighing the consequences.
Jenni Ware, the woman who lost her wallet, repaid Carolee with a check for $300–that’s $93 extra. Carolee put the question up on Facebook: what to do with the extra $93? Someone suggested donating to charity–and The 93 Dollar Club began. Since it all started in a grocery story, The 93 Dollar Club has been encouraging people to donate to feed the hungry, especially with donations to the Second Harvest Food Bank. People have given donations of $93, $9.30, or even children giving $0.93. It all counts. All together, it’s raised more than $19,000, according to the latest report on Facebook. And that’s in barely more than a month.
I take it back–there is something I like more than “random acts of kindness” stories. I love stories about small things that lead to a huge difference. Helping one person at the grocery store. Donating $93, or even $9.30. With everyone coming together, it all adds up to something big.
Want to get involved? Visit The 93 Dollar Club on Facebook to find out more and see the latest tally on donations. Or if you’d like to find a great way to give to someone internationally, UniversalGiving has over a hundred opportunities to give to help someone eat.
The UniversalGiving Blog 