The Pay It Forward Coffee Shop

Some customers in Bluffton, South Carolina get random acts of kindness with their morning coffee.  A wave of "pay it forward" began two years ago at The Corner Perk when a woman left an extra 100 dollar bill to cover the coffee lovers who followed her that day, and she insisted she remain anonymous. Word spread, and others wanted to make the same gesture--also leaving money to pay for customers that came in.  The owner reports some people come in and leave money without even getting coffee.

"People will come in and say, 'What do you mean? I don't understand. Are you trying to buy me a coffee today?'" the shop's owner, Josh Cooke, told the local news. "And I say, 'No, somebody came in 30 minutes ago and left money to pay for drinks until it runs out.'"

Bluffton is a small town of only 12,000 people.  The generosity is deeply appreciated in economically tough times.

Food for the Poor Nourishing Souls

As the third largest international relief and development organization in the U.S., Food For The Poor  feeds 2 million people every day. The Christian-based nonprofit helps children and the poorest of the poor by providing food, housing, health care, education, water projects, emergency relief and micro-enterprise assistance in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Praise from Charity Navigator:

“We are proud to announce that Food For The Poor has earned our tenth consecutive 4-star rating for its ability to efficiently manage and grow its finances. Less than 1% of the charities we rate have received at least 10 consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that Food For The Poor consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way, and outperforms most other charities in America."

Food For The Poor makes sure nutritious food, clean drinking water, sturdy housing, necessary medical care, educational materials is at the disposal of people in desperate need.   Support for orphans and the elderly and self-sustaining projects are part of their on-going mission. Please visit their projects page to find out how you can join the effort.

Invisible People: Raising Awareness

Meet Gerardo.  His own family turned him away as a teenager because he is gay.  It's hard to imagine a church rejecting someone in need, but apparently this is a common experience for LGBT youth who find themselves on the street.  

Invisible People (dot) TV wants you to see the faces and know the lives of homeless people.  From the site:

On the street I saw a small girl cold and shivering in a thin dress, with little hope of a decent meal. I became angry and said to God; “Why did you permit this? Why don’t you do something about it?” For a while God said nothing. That night he replied, quite suddenly:

“I certainly did something about it. I made you.”