30 Simple Ways to Share Kindness in Your Neighborhood

February is Random Acts of Kindness Month! Here are 30 ideas to share kindness and participate with your neighbors in making your neighborhood an even better place to live for all.

1. Make a commitment to thank a neighbor every day of this month (or how about every day of Lent?) Even the bank realizes the value of a thank you.
2. Help a neighbor who’s carrying a lot of things.
3. Pay for your neighbor’s coffee at your local coffee shop.
4. Do your neighbor’s yard work—shoveling snow, raking, mowing, etc.—or offer to help them clean their garage.
5. Share food—your baking, cooking, home-grown veggies, and more.
6. Buy some pet food for the pet of your neighbor who has difficulty getting out.
7. Share a home-cooked meal with your neighbors, or order out together and enjoy your food together in the park, in one of your homes, or over video call.
8. Offer to babysit your neighbors’ kids or suggest that you take turns doing that for one another.
9. Smile at your neighbors every opportunity you get!
10. Be a listening ear or shoulder to cry on for a neighbor who is having a rough time, been upset, or is experiencing loss, pain, or grief.
11. Go for lunch with a neighbor.
12. Write a letter of recommendation for a neighbor who’s looking for a job.
13. Write a letter of appreciation and encouragement to a neighbor (or two)!
14. Help a neighbor unload their groceries or load up for an outing.  
15. Share a book or magazine with a neighbor who shares a similar interest with you.
16. Tell a neighbor what you appreciate about their family.
17. Post a positive comment on a neighbor’s Facebook page or other social media account.
18. Compliment your neighbors (perhaps for their garden, their pet, their care for another neighbor, etc.) People don’t hear how special they are often enough.
19. Pick up the litter on your street, in your neighborhood park, or elsewhere around your community.
20. Clean up vandalism in your neighborhood.
21. Gather a few neighbors and plant perennials along your avenue.
22. Share or exchange coupons and discount cards with your neighbors.
23. Create a holiday to celebrate a long-time resident and hear their stories with a street social or block party.
24. Create cut-out paper hearts or smiley faces and hang them in your window. Add positive words and kind messages to some of them.
25. Remember your neighbors’ birthdays, anniversaries, and other significant days in their lives with a visit, a card, or a meal together. Acknowledging one another’s life journeys is so important.
26. Make little gift baskets for the kids in your neighborhood for Valentine's Day or any upcoming holiday.
27. Offer to pick up something for your neighbors, especially those who may be feeling overwhelmed by Covid-19, a new baby, family issues, work, or something else.
28. Take care of a neighbor’s home or pets while they’re away.
29. Say “yes” to your neighbors and your neighborhood! Accept an invitation, join in, participate with, share your gifts, and receive from your neighbors.
30. Listen. Listening may be the greatest act of kindness we can share with our neighbors. Listening is a foundational practice on Resonate's Go Local journey.

God is at work in our neighborhoods! As we pay attention to those next door, connect with them, and listen to their stories, we’ll learn more about who God is and how we can join in where God is at work in people’s lives and in our communities. 

Learn more about connecting with your neighbors and joining where God is at work in your neighborhood: www.resonateglobalmission.org/go-local

Written by Karen Wilk, a Resonate Go Local catalyzer