Several weeks ago I was ambling down Park Street when I saw a gaggle of people on Alameda Avenue holding signs that read “Free Bake Sale.” They’d taken over several picnic tables to display amazing treats of the cookie, brownie, and muffin variety. Being gleefully startled—and drawn to all things pastry—I approached someone and, channeling my smart-alecky self, pointed out that if the items were free there was technically no sale involved. The delightful recipient of my snark smiled, said “Of course, we know,” and then asked if I’d like something yummy. I paused, got past my bafflement, and took two items stuffed with chocolate chips. While chewing, I watched other equally confused citizens subdued by the warmth and generosity of these radicals, some of whom gave and got hugs from grinning passersby. Turns out these heart-driven troublemakers were none other than The Kindness Coalition, a group of locals under the leadership of Alameda resident Deirdre Freeman, who kindly agreed to talk about this remarkable project in this 5Q4: The Kindness Coalition.
Forgive the pun, given that part of what your group does is spread kindness through giving away free baked goods, but what is the key ingredient to the Kindness Coalition, what are you all about?
We are a quietly revolutionary undercurrent of kindness. We are amplified by each of our very individual members, as we collaborate to make kindness magic and much more commonplace in Alameda. We all have similar desires to be kind in the world, whether this means smiling at the people we come across on our walks or runs, helping a certain person in need, or doing unexpected kind deeds in the community. We are always brainstorming, always ready to set other things temporarily aside to enact these kindnesses.
Was there a particular local, regional, national, or international event that led to the creation of the Kindness Coalition?
No. But the state of our distressed nation really kicked me in the pants, hard. Beyond participating in all the marches, I’m not one to get *too* political. I wondered what I could do, how I could make a real difference, and decided that finding all the people who wanted to make kindness come first in Alameda was a good start. And it sure has been. It’s been a phenomenal process.
Do you have any stories to tell in regards to your experiences spreading kindness, especially the free baked goods?
We all just found it amusing that most people couldn’t believe we were giving away all these mostly home baked goods for free. People kept asking where our donation jar was, and we would say, “We’re just trying to make your day better.” We also gave out free hugs, and so many people were receptive to that, maybe even a little starved for that. The whole free bake sale idea was a big success, both for all of us who took part, and those who got to eat the goodies and meet us.
We’ve also been doing fun, exciting neighborhood cleanups. The last one, we focused on Lincoln Avenue and Buena Vista Avenue. Six of us collected over 15 big bags of trash from those streets. So many people smiled, waved, told us “thank you,” and gave us the thumbs-up. We were even given free water by a small gathering we passed. It was such a feel-good morning.
Has your group grown, taken on new challenges or opportunities to spread kindness?
We’ve grown from 3 to 111 members in the past eight months without recruiting. We’re always accepting new members who see things the way we do. As a group, we’re very interested in all the ideas our new and existing members may have. There are many opportunities to envision a project and get help seeing it to fruition! It has been a bit more challenging for one person to organize 110 members, but maybe at some point this little group will aspire to a larger foundation status. A girl can dream.
Some of the ideas we have had over the past months have been:
- Household fix-its for elderly or indisposed community members.
- Free Parents’ night out with babysitting, a kindness circle, pizza, a movie.
- Continued community cleanups.
- Kindness Coalition mixers/happy hours.
- Continued free bake sales.
- Helping individuals in need (i.e., cancer patients).
- Dance parties in retirement homes.
- Kindness Kits for community members who might benefit.
- Kindness seminars for children.
How can folks reach out to you to get involved and support what you’re doing?
Right now, our home base is on Facebook. Search for “Kindness Coalition” and you will find our group. You can also email me at [email protected], subject line “Kindness Coalition.” When on our page, be sure to navigate around to see what we are up to. We have yet to figure a community calendar out!
Bonus Question: If you had a chance to stand before a microphone and send a message to everyone in town, or bigger yet, everyone everywhere, what would you say to us?
Hi friends,
Kindness is our message — with love at its very heart.
The Kindness Coalition knows that there are many citizens of Alameda who live with kindness as their everyday compass. Simple acts of thoughtfulness travel outward, impacting lives in myriad ways which usually remain unseen. And while kindness is powerful on its own, something even more magical happens when we practice it together.
When we gather around kindness, we become a quiet revolution — one capable of transforming hearts, communities, and the ways we move through the world.
Gene Kahane is the founder of the Foodbank Players, a lifelong teacher, and former Poet Laureate for the City of Alameda. Reach him at [email protected]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Gene-Kahane.
