An ‘Ellen’ appearance for SNGA? :-D

If you’re a regular viewer of TV’s ‘Ellen,’ you know her sign off is always “Be kind to one another.” Nothing typifies this spirit more than the fantastic nonprofit organization Random Acts, which seeks to promote kindness around the world and even sponsors the Annual Melee of Kindness (AMOK). The global day of kindness takes place this year on Sat., March 1.

Recently, Simple Needs GA founder Brenda Rhodes met with four local college students working for RA/AMOK. They were kind enough to donate eight bags of full-sized toiletries to SNGA’s toiletries program for people staying at a local emergency shelter. The students–Allison Law, Corinne Law, Brancey Montgomery and Kristina Fowler–created a video to submit to Ellen’s segments on AMOK and Random Acts.

“It was wonderful to see young people who are so interested in giving back to the community and who are so inspired by the power of random acts of kindness,” Brenda said. “Last year, the AMOK event had 498 participants who did 156 acts of kindness in 18 countries.The Random Acts/AMOK concept is so inspiring!”

When new guests arrive at the shelter, they often do not have much with them, sometimes only the clothes on their backs. In the video, Brenda explains the basic idea for SNGA’s program: To help people feel more comfortable–and “de-stress” a little–SNGA provides them with a duffel bag containing toiletries and other items they will need during their possible six-week stay at the shelter (all larger-size toiletries, not the travel or sample size). “Each year, we need lots of bags–approximately 1,000 or more,” Brenda says. “They currently contain about 15 items in the men’s bags and about 21 in the women’s.”

If you or your church or other group would be interested in helping with SNGA’s duffel bag project, either by purchasing items, donating money, or buying all the items and putting the bags together, please contact us at info@simpleneedsga.org. A small or large contribution will really make a difference to the residents.