Monday, November 13 is World Kindness Day.
To mark the occasion, a special group of kids in Dallas are paying that kindness forward.
Children at Interfaith Family Services in Dallas are giving sweet, handmade cards and goodies to law enforcement officers in DFW.
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The nonprofit focuses on helping single parents who are facing homelessness through housing, rent assistance, food, childcare, and career coaching for families.
“We empower families in crisis to break the cycle of poverty,” said Feleasha Nelson, Director of Children Services at Interfaith Family Services. “We focus on families who have somehow ended up in transitional housing. And while those families are either working or in school trying to better themselves, we provide services for their children.”
Those services include meals, enrichment, educational activities, field trips, backpacks, school supplies and other needs.
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“We make sure that they're safe. That they're being loved and careful while their parents are away – whether they're in school or at work – which helps them to relieve some of the pressure of their child being provided for,” said Nelson.
Life is often not kind to the children and parents they serve but days like Monday can serve as valuable teaching moments for love and positivity.
"It shows that there's compassion, there's sympathy, there's empathy. We want to make a difference in their lives and if just spreading kindness – which doesn't cost us anything – changes the outlook for them, then we are here to do it,” said Nelson. "It boosts confidence, self-esteem, just seeing someone being nice and kind. It shows that someone still cares."
Thanks to the idea of an Interfaith teacher, the children have actually been practicing kindness every month and recently delivered goodies and cards to firefighters, too.
In addition to the work with the kids, the parents are given equal attention to learn through career and financial coaching. About 97% of families exit the program with full-time employment and 94% exit into permanent housing.
Right now, Interfaith is gearing up for a very busy holiday season. They’re looking for donations of toys, food, household goods, toiletries and other items that can make a difference this Christmas.
The deadline to drop off items at their campus is Friday, December 1. The address is 1651 Matilda Street in Dallas.
The items will be sorted for their annual Christmas Store that allows families to “shop” for items for the holidays. Volunteers are also needed. Click here for more details or scan the QR code below.
