Spread the Love with Acts of Kindness
Giving Back to the Community
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and love is undoubtedly in the air. Keep the sentiment going this weekend by celebrating National Acts of Kindness day on February 17th. While it is important to show our loved ones how much we care, it is equally important to care about our community and environment. Here at Timoti’s Seafood Shak, we are brain-storming ways to give back to our North Florida community.
Keeping it Clean
If you are local to Jacksonville, flex your volunteering muscles and help keep our beaches clean! Get involved with organizations like Clean Your 904, an emerging nonprofit dedicated to bringing community members together to keep beaches, parks and streets clean. Each season, they host clean-up events in the 904 area that are free and family-friendly. Their most recent clean-up in early February welcomed over 150 volunteers to help maintain the beauty of Riverside Park.
Clean Your 904 adds fun to every event with special prizes to celebrate achievements like “Top 3 Weirdest Finds”. Join the group of volunteers for a post-clean up celebration, often hosted at one of the many local breweries North Florida has to offer.
Not only is this a great way to spread love to our community, but you are bound to meet some fellow good-hearted neighbors at these events. Feel inspired, be kind to our planet and make some friends along the way. What could be better?
Making Furry Friends
Do you have a soft spot for four-legged friends? The Jacksonville Humane Society might be the perfect place to give back to your community. In 2018, this non-profit no-kill animal shelter provided care for 8,863 animals and placed 7,476 critters in loving homes.
The Jacksonville Humane Society credits the 514 active volunteers that served 27,637 volunteer hours in 2018 for these impressive statistics. If over 500 kind-hearted individuals can make such a large difference, imagine how much can be accomplished with even more man-power. There are multiple ways to help the shelter grow and help animals in need.
Want to dedicate your time to the cause? You can become a volunteer for the shelter and spend your days walking dogs or snuggling kittens. Jacksonville Humane Society offers volunteer opportunities for all ages, so there are no limits on who can lend a hand.
Take your dedication a step further by fostering a pet! Volunteer foster families provide temporary, in-home care to animals as they prepare for adoption into a permanent home. Animals that qualify for foster care are typically underage kittens and puppies or animals that require medical attention. This rewarding opportunity helps animals in a very personal way and is sure to fill your heart!
Clean out Your Closet
The sweaters stuffed in the back of your closet might be someone else’s favorite outfit. As an ode to Marie Kondo, take time on a Sunday afternoon to sort through items that no longer “spark joy” for you. You might be surprised how quickly items you can live without pile up!
Examine the items you plan to donate to ensure they are free of stains and rips. When you have your haul ready, head to your local Goodwill to give your unused goods to a better cause. The impact of your donation reaches beyond filling someone else’s closet! The planet benefits when you ditch the dumpster and donate instead. In the last decade, donations have helped keep billions of pound of clothing and household items out of landfills.
Serving the Students
Duval County has an entire department dedicated to Family and Community Engagement in the Public School system. Teachers may be superheros all on their own, but they could always use a helping hand. Increased educational support in the community means happier instructors, better programs for students and a higher quality learning experience.
Perhaps you have a special skill or talent that could contribute to public schools. Retired teachers can flex their teaching muscles by tutoring students part-time through R.E.S.T.- Retired Educator and Support Team. If you have a background in counselling, check out the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project. This program aims to intervene in the lives of at-risk minority male youth and empower them to make good choices and pursue healthy living. Contact the site director about mentor recruitment to truly make a difference in someone’s life.
Pay it Forward
In any community, an easy and effective way to spread kindness is by paying it forward. No matter what your week looks like, you can fit in a small act of kindness to brighten a stranger’s day. Picking up coffee at the drive through window? Try leaving some extra cash with the barista to pay for the person behind you in line. Hold the door for strangers, leave a generous tip for a server or smile extra at the post office. Surprising acts of joy can start a chain reaction that makes the community just a little bit brighter.
Celebrate National Acts of Kindness Day with Timoti’s Seafood Shak
At Timoti’s, we have our North Florida home to thank for the start of our business. Fernandina’s inlets and marshes fostered the modern shrimping industry in 1913, and today the Timoti family honors that history with fresh flavors and wild-caught seafood. We want to honor the integrity of the fishermen who built this community that we care so deeply about.
Not just on February 17th, but every day, we hope to give back to the community that has given so much to us over the years. Our commitment to quality is how we share our heritage with our guests. Come have a meal with us this weekend and spread kindness wherever you go!