Natalie Geerlinks, a cashier in a local grocery story in Woodstock, Ontario, was inviting people to donate 25 cents to the Food for Friends program during the week leading up to Thanksgiving. “I noticed a lot of people were saying no,” said Geerlinks. “I decided . . . to donate a quarter for everyone at my checkout who didn’t.”
What started as a small donation decision started a trail of random acts of kindness.
At the end of her shift, Geerlinks, 18, had donated $17.25, which she doubled. But the giving didn’t end there. Her manager heard about what Geerlinks was doing and wanted to match the donation—and challenged other departments to donate as well.
A came for an interview. They shared the story with the Woodstock area and on Facebook, which inspired others to send in checks matching the donation to .
“We were surprised at the response,” said Natalie’s mother, Irene Geerlinks. “She made the decision, and I thought, ‘Okay, that’s nice.’ And then she came home from work a few days later saying, ‘Um, I think I’m going to be on the news.’”
It was also the beginning of a bigger project for Geerlinks. “I follow Free the Children on Facebook and I read an article . . . about a girl who was doing 21 random acts of kindness for her 21st birthday. I recently turned 18, and I thought if she could do 21 random acts, I could do 18! I decided that my first random act of kindness would be to donate [the] quarters.”
Geerlinks is a member of Covenant Christian Reformed Church in Woodstock.
About the Author
Anita Brinkman is a freelance news correspondent for The Banner. She lives in Chatham, Ontario.
