FTC Disclaimer: I serve as a brand ambassador for Central Arkansas McDonald’s and this post has been sponsored. However, my belief in spreading kindness is 100% my own.
I will never forget the time when a complete stranger committed a random act of kindness for me.
I was in the drive-thru of McDonald’s, looking at the menu, trying to figure out what I could order with the eight dollars and change I had in my hand. I was committed to only spending what I had in actual cash because I was on a very tight budget.
I made my choice. It was probably a Happy Meal for Christian (which is what he always asks for) and a few items from the Everyday Value Menu for myself. I placed my order and the person told me to drive around. She hadn’t told me what the total cost was, but that didn’t bother me since it was on the screen.
I pulled around to the first window, ready to pay. The young lady who was waiting waved away my money.
I was confused. I told her that it was for my order. She said “The person in front of you already paid for it”.
What?!
Y’all, I was gobsmacked. I guess the cashier could tell because she reassured me with a smile on her face, that my order had already been paid for by the person in the car ahead of me.
I looked in front of me in time to see a little white car driving away.
I thanked the cashier and pulled up to the second window, hoping that I could get my food and then catch up with the person to thank them.
Alas, that didn’t happen. I got my order quickly, but I was still too late to find and thank the generous driver.
But the impact that his or her random act of kindness has not left me.
In fact, I now try to pay it forward whenever I have the opportunity – whether directly or indirectly. When I’ve done it directly, the people have almost always seemed as surprised as I was that a random stranger was willing to do something kind for them. But even when it’s done indirectly, it makes me feel good to know that maybe, in some small way, I am spreading a bit of happiness and helping to restore people’s faith in humanity.
When you start looking for opportunities to commit random acts of kindness, you realize that we have those chances practically every day. Here are just 20 random acts of kindness ideas to inspire you.
- The next time you are in the drive-thru at McDonald’s, offer to pay for the meal of the person behind you. If they are anything like me, they will be surprised and thankful for the pay-it-forward experience. (Did you know that McDonald’s partners with KARK Channel 4 to Pay it Forward? They surprise local community members for their hard work and giving back attitude in communities all over our area. Watch the segments on the evening news!)
- If you are inside McDonald’s when you order and happen to see a big family dining there, offer to pay for part or all of their meal. Someone did this for a friend once and she actually cried because going out to eat with her family is a rare treat simply because it can be so expensive.
- When you are in line at McDonald’s, buy one (or a few) of their Arch cards and hand them out to the people in line behind you to apply to their orders. You can also buy Arch cards and give them to people outside of the restaurant. A local police officer in North Little Rock hands out Arch cards to children in need when he is patrolling the neighborhood. I like to give Arch cards as small presents to my friends and family!
- If you live in an area with a homeless population, stop by a local McDonald’s, buy a bunch of items from the Everyday Value Menu and hand out meals to the homeless. I am sure they would appreciate a hot and tasty meal.
There are a lot of great deals at McDonald’s! Download the app to check and see what awesome local deals you can get.
- July App Offers:
- BOGO Signature Crafted Sandwich
- BOGO Large Fries
- $3 off any purchase of $15 or more
- Free Medium McCafe with any purchase
- $1 off All Day Breakfast Sandwich
- Free Medium Slushie with Signature Crafted Sandwich
- Free Small Slushie with purchase of Large Fries
- BOGO Slushie
- Don’t forget about McDonald’s McPick 2 for $3 deal! You can pick two of the below items for only $3.
- McDouble, 6 piece Chicken McNuggets, Medium Fries, Snack Size Oreo McFlurry.
- With it being so hot outside, an ice-cold drink would help someone cool down. McDonald’s has any size Soft Drink or Sweet Tea for just $1 with their Happy ANY Hour promotion! You just can’t beat that deal.
- They also have new Minute Maid Slushie flavors and a Medium Slushie is only $1.49. They come in three delicious flavors: Cherry, Orangeade and Fruit Punch. Get one today to make someone’s day better!
- Pay the toll for the car behind you.
- Offer to help someone load their groceries in their car.
- Offer to mow someone’s lawn or rake their yard.
- Offer to do something for free that you usually charge for.
- Write a kind and encouraging letter to someone and leave it on their front porch.
- Buy a bouquet of flowers and hand out the flowers to random people throughout the day.
- Put a few coins in an expired meter to help buy that person some time to avoid a ticket.
- Leave quarters at the laundromat.
- Write positive messages on sticky notes and place them around town.
- Bring a welcome basket to new neighbors.
- Cook a meal for someone that may not always have time to cook for themselves.
- Offer to babysit for a friend who could use some kid-free time.
- Bake someone’s favorite or cake or make their favorite meal for them – just because.
- Compliment a stranger.
- Offer to pay for someone’s gas at the gas station.
- Leave quarters at vending machines in the hospital waiting rooms.
There are so many ways to spread happiness in the world. Your one random act of kindness may really change the way someone is feeling. It might also cause a ripple effect of many people committing random acts of kindness. Isn’t it amazing how much impact one simple action can have?
Tell Me: Have you ever been on the receiving end of a random act of kindness? Tel me about it in the comments below.
