Our deepest thanks to Starbucks at Westside Shady Grove, Falls Grove, Watkins Mill, Montgomery Village, Clarksburg, Downtown Crown, and Germantown Center for hosting a nonperishable food drive for us! Thank you for your kind commitment to serving those in need! 
We had a great time at Piney Branch ES STEAM Night making brain helmets and learning about the parts of the brain and their functions! The students made 50 helmets! It was a fantastic evenjng with 20+ hands on science activities that included examining a sheep brain as well as demonstrations by Montgomery Blair High School Robotics team! Our thanks to Soosan Faulk for organizing such a wonderful event and Patrick Serra for all his hands on support!
Great school-wide distribution of 800 brand new books and bookmarks today at Title I School Rolling Terrace ES! Our deepest thanks to Library Media Specialist Gregory D’Addario, Principal Jessica Palladio, Georgetown Hill Elementary School for hosting a book drive, Alternative Gifts of Greater Washington donors for their generous contributions, and our community, and STM team: Chris, Mary, Jessie, Chris, and Barry!
Our thanks to Jhenileen Libongco-Barbour Continuum Healthcare Network, Elizabeth Chung Asian American Center of Frederick, Maryland Department of Health for their kind recognition of our work in the community at the Honoring Women Gala tonight! We greatly enjoyed the inspirational speeches by Councilmember Gabe Albornoz, Councilmember Kate Stewart, Takoma Park Mayor Talisha Searcy, Delegate Harry Bhandari and the Govenor’s citation for Continuum presented by Christina Poy GOCI!
The Takoma Park Blue Bins Community Pantry hosted by SatJiwan SJ Ikle-Khalsa and Mimi Ikle-Khalsa were recently upgraded, funded by a county grant made to Small Things Matter! The upgrades included 2 new refrigerators, coolers, and a shed. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, Delegate Lorig Charkoudian, Takoma Park Mayor Talisha Searcy, Jamie Iwugo/Grey Bins and Kirsten Slade/Black bins, STM members: Thomas Showalter and family Diane Marie, Ian, and Ian Arthur Gray were among those in attendance of this mini-reopening.
Our deepest thanks to Starbucks employee Rob Grimes for his generous donation of 56,117 Stars worth over $1600 which he used to purchase 400 breakfast sandwiches for our families. Thanks also to District Manager Eric Yeboah, Store Manager Starbucks Westside Shady Grove Store #49693 Naz Movagher, Council Member Kate Stewart, and Hampshire Tower Apartment site coordinator Doris Duarte for coming out to celebrate his amazing donation! Read all about it here in The Patch: https://patch.com/maryland/silverspring/starbucks-employees-donation-helps-buy-400-sandwiches-charity
Our thanks to Takoma Park Farmers Market‘s Toigo Farms, Twin Spring Farm, and Cazuela Stone Heath Bskery for their generous donations of apples, cider, and baked goods for our families in need. Thanks also to our crew: Carla, Chris, Mary, Aurelie, and Hannah for collecting and delivering the food!
3,570 Acts of Kindness were made in Tommy’s honor on Saturday, January 28, 2023. We also raised $1340 from the auction and look forward to the dine out that Olive Lounge is hosting on February 20 with 10% of the proceeds going to Tommy Raskin Memorial Fund for People and Animals, and to the register round up that Old Takoma Ace Hardware/Silver Spring Ace Hardware will be doing soon for his foundation. Thank you everyone for coming out and making the day special, thank you to all of our wonderful partners, our amazing teen and adult volunteers, and to the Raskin family for joining us! Please remember to visit Tommy Raskin Memorial Fund for People and Animals https://tommyraskinfund.org/ to make a small donation and please share your acts of kindness!
Please mark your calendars for Kindness Day in honor of Tommy Raskin on Saturday January 28, 2023 at Piney Branch ES from 10am-1pm. There will be various kindness activities benefitting local charities that support people as well as animals for you and your children to participate in, collections at PBES on the day of the event, local businesses offering in-store kindness events, and a raffle benefitting the Tommy Raskin Memorial Fund for Humans and Animals https://tommyraskinfund.org. Monetary donations can also be made to the foundation directly. If you do make a contribution for Kindness Day 2023 and would like your name(s) include on the card/booklet we are putting together for the Raskin family please let me know. More details on all the activities and in-store businesses will be posted here soon.
SSL hours will be awarded for MS/HS participating in the event. Volunteers needed from 9:30am-1:30pm.
Activities at Piney Branch ES from 10-1pm
Packing non-perishable food items in bags
Make and take microgreens
Kindness rocks
Bookmarks for kids
Toiletry/hygiene products collection (full sizes only)
Positive message cards
Making weighted hula-hoops, teaching how to hula-hoop
Safe Space Signs
Affirming buttons
Safe Routes to School (SRTS)
Notes of Kindness and Mealtime Inspiration Kits
Winter Clothing
Puzzle books for seniors
Socks for the homeless
Make-N-Take pinecone bird feeders
Community kindness book
Coloring books for sick children
Make Dog Tug Toys
100 Fresh produce boxes
Friendship bracelets
Book collection (grades 3-5, 5th), snack donations, spring volunteers for upcoming school events, and thank you teacher notes
Positive message cards
Legos for underserved children
Items you can donate at the Kindness Day Event
used/new towels for animal shelters
non-perishable foods
Toiletry/hygiene products (full sizes only)
Winter Clothing
Puzzle books for seniors
Socks for the homeless
Coloring books for sick children
Small drawings for the community kindness book
Book collection (books for grades 3rd-5th esp needed)
Gently used Legos
Businesses In-Store Kindness Events
K&B Bridal and Tux – Words of affirmation and encouragement jar
Tabletop – Snack table
TPSS Coop – Treat table
Old Takoma Ace Hardware/Ace Hardware Silver Spring – Register roundup for Tommy’s Pantry
Olive Lounge – February 13 Dineout to benefit Tommy Raskin Fund for People & Animals
Our thanks to Belmont Elementary School’s Social Justice Alliance for inviting Lana to share our mission as part of their MLK celebration on Friday, January 13. Our thanks to Stefanie Pleasure and Pam Dorsey for organizing the event, to the PTA for sponsoring the event, and to the members of the Social Justice Alliance for running the packing rice/beans activity for our families in need. This inspirational evening was filled with many other wonderful activities: the Social Justice Alliance shared quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr.; Green Olney collected items for recycling and taught students how to make reusable bags and dog toys out of t-shirts; Girl Scout Troop 31058 hosted Valentine’s Day cards for seniors; and students put together a lovely “What is Your Dream for the World” inspirational wall filled with their hopes and dreams for the future.