Do something! Day: Thousands take part in random acts of kindness
FROM volunteers to random acts of kindness, Australians across the nation were in the spirit of DoSomething! Day with thousands helping each other and sharing the fun.
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- Chef Anna Polyviou bakes humble pie
- Bakery delights commuters with free brekky
- How you can help on DoSomething Day
- DoSomething Day homepage
IF Sydney had a kindness index, it would have hit new highs today on the inaugural Do Something Day.
Across the city people paused, took a breath and did something nice for someone else.
From small gestures such as buying a coffee for a stranger, to helping out at a school for the disabled and baking pies for the homeless, the good deeds were countless and they’ve been shared and celebrated on social media in a remarkable groundswell of goodwill.
DoSomething Day - a partnership between NewsLocal, the DoSomething charity and Your Local Club - was Australia’s biggest celebration of community volunteering and random acts of kindness, a partnership between News Corp Australia’s community newspapers and your local club.
There were plenty of examples of people throwing themselves into the spirit of the day.
“Paying it forward” at a coffee store for a stranger was a popular choice for many across Sydney and the Central Coast.
Baking tasty treats like pastries, pies and cakes for strangers and workmates emerged as a way people could show they cared.
At the Shangri La Hotel, celebrity pastry chef Anna Polyviou from MasterChef and her co-workers made racks of apple pies to be distributed to the poor.
Polyviou said it was important for her and her team to do something practical to spread the important message of loving others.
“(Doing this is) about being humble — humble pie. Everyone loves pies because it reminds us of our childhood and (it’s) warming,” she said.
“I want (my team) to understand it is about giving but you don’t necessarily have to give a product, you can do something nice or compliment people, it’s just really important,” Polyviou said.
At St Johns Park Bowling Club fellow chefs Sammy and Bella from My Kitchen Rules also had their aprons on for DoSomething Day baking a giant savoury pie.
“If a hug was a food, it would taste like a pie,” said Bella.
The food from the two venues was being handed out to the homeless by the charities Oz Harvest and Father Chris Riley’s Youth Off The Streets.
Other celebrities who backed DoSomething Day included radio stars Fitzy and Wippa and Channel Ten newsreader Sandra Sully who spent a day working at a Kings Cross women’s refuge.
In Martin Place and at Parramatta, a group of DoSomething Day “angels” spent their day helping the less mobile up stairs and carrying bags.
NewsLocal editor in chief Kathy Lipari said the inaugural day had been a fantastic success.
“It was fabulous to see the way the nation embraced the idea of celebrating the wonderful people who give up their time to volunteer,” she said.
ClubsNSW Acting CEO Josh Landis said it showcased the many ways people can make a positive difference in their communities with a small act of kindness.
“The valuable contributions made by individuals and local clubs in the lead up to and on Do Something Day is something we can all be proud of,” he said.
Random acts of kindness
■ Make a friend laugh
■ Call your Mum!
■ Offer your seat on the bus
■ Help an elderly person across the road
■ Buy a colleague coffee
■ Buying flowers for a friend
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