Thread by @ErikaGrotto

In case you need a reminder that people are good, here’s a story in many tweets. At my office, we take turns cleaning the kitchen—wiping down counters, etc., plus on Friday, we clean out the two refrigerators. Today was my fridge day.

The deal with the fridge is, if someone has written their name on an item, you keep it. Unlabeled items get thrown away. It’s not the worst task, but it’s not all that fun. So I decided to make it fun.

I told my coworkers that for every labeled item, I’d donate a certain amount to the Greater #Chicago @FoodDepository. For every item I had to throw away, I would subtract (a lesser amount) from the total. I just kinda hoped this would make people label their stuff. But then...

One by one, people started emailing me to say they’d match my donation. One person even multiplied it. Someone taped cash to one of the refrigerators with a note. And even those who didn’t offer money offered good thoughts for what was happening.

When fridge cleanout time came, coworkers came into the kitchen—probably to watch and laugh at me a little, but also to label things they knew belonged to people who weren’t in the office today. Even this small gesture was so cool to see.

I tallied everything up, emailed the staff, and some who had promised to match my donation started sending MORE than the pledged amount. New people came forward to say they’d match too. A few stopped by my desk to offer cash. I was still getting messages at 6 p.m.

I don’t even know where the total will end up, because this whole thing is clearly not over. But as of right now, employees have raised or pledged more than $600. According to the @FoodDepository website, that amount will provide 1,800 meals.

Guys, I just wanted to make fridge cleanout less boring and maybe kick a few bucks to a good cause. What happened was, I had the best, most inspiring work day I’ve ever had at this place. I’m honored and humbled to work with such kind, generous people.

And here’s the thing: it’s not just the money. The money is great. We’re helping to feed hungry people, and I’m thrilled about that. But what was even cooler for me was to see so many—those who gave and those who didn’t—get excited about it.

Charitable donations are great. But not everyone has the means to make them, and not everyone wants to give to everything every time. All of that is just fine. But at some point, each of us will get an inkling to do something kind. And we should do that something.