We all want to make a positive impact in our communities, but sometimes, we forget how small, simple things can make a major difference. It’s okay to start small. Your intentional effort can brighten someone’s day or set a chain reaction that you’ll never see! To help you consider how you can make a positive impact on our Ottawa County community, consider these 89 suggestions:

1. Smile at a stranger.
2. Provide items for a “Welcome Home” basket.
3. Hold the door for someone.
4. Compliment your co-worker.
5. Compliment your boss.
6. Compliment a family member.
7. Pay it forward.
8. Donate to pay the security deposit for someone exiting homelessness.
9. Pay for someone’s meal.
10. Slow down.
11. Educate yourself on homelessness and poverty solutions.
12. Buy someone coffee.
13. Let a friend teach you a new skill.
14. Send flowers to a friend.
15. Pick up trash.
16. Say “hello” to someone you don’t know.
17. Prepare a meal for an upcoming Circles meeting.
18. Become a Circles ally.
19. Pray for your neighbor.
20. Slow down and let someone merge in front of you.
21. Donate to help a family exit homelessness.
22. Bake cookies for a neighbor.
23. Post a kind note.
24. Get to know someone.
25. Invite a new friend to dinner.
26. Donate to help prevent someone from being evicted.
27. Do something good.
28. Plant a tree.
29. Create a personal essentials kit to give to someone experiencing homelessness.
30. Let someone cut in front of you.
31. Help someone carry their groceries.
32. Offer to return someone’s grocery cart.
33. Donate $100 to cover the utility security deposit for one family exiting homelessness.
34. Do something anonymously.
35. Compliment a service worker.
36. Write a positive review online.
37. Learn CPR/First Aid.
38. Give an extra tip.
39. Send a card just because.
40. Donate $750 to cover the costs of one family’s vehicle repairs.
41. Give an umbrella to someone stuck in the rain.
42. Send a care package.
43. Clear the snow off someone’s car.
44. Educate yourself about issues causing homelessness.
45. Host a game night.
46. Make amends.
47. Donate coloring books and crayons to Good Samaritan for case management sessions.
48. Help direct someone experiencing homelessness to Good Samaritan.
49. Donate vacation time to a co-worker.
50. Invite someone to spend Thanksgiving with you.
51. Invite someone to spend Christmas with you.
52. Donate $500 to pay for someone’s job training.
53. Share your knowledge.
54. Donate $50 to Good Samaritan to pay for someone’s housing application fee.
55. Become a mentor.
56. Write a thank you note.
57. Tell a joke.
58. Be kind.
59. Look at the bright side.
60. Introduce yourself to a neighbor.
61. Get involved.
62. Donate $100 to Good Samaritan to pay the daycare security deposit for one child experiencing homelessness.
63. Invite your church or other group to get involved in Good Samaritan’s work.
64. Rake a neighbor’s leaves.
65. Shovel the snow off the sidewalk.
66. Clear a neighbor’s driveway of snow.
67. Donate $250 to provide utility assistance for three families.
68. Build a “free little library” in your front yard.
69. Tell the principal how much you love your child’s teacher.
70. Send school supplies to your local public school.
71. Take part in Good Samaritan’s “One Night, No Bed” campaign.
72. Be on time.
73. Teach someone something you enjoy.
74. Call someone just to say hi.
75. Reconnect with an old friend.
76. Forgive someone.
77. Do chores for a loved one.
78. Share a book.
79. Care for yourself.
80. Donate $50 to Good Samaritan to pay for four replacement birth certificates.
81. Listen to a friend.
82. “Unplug” for an hour.
83. Volunteer for one hour.
84. Learn how to say “hello” in a new language.
85. Surprise a loved one.
86. Spend time with someone you care about.
87. Choose to not complain.
88. Go for a walk.
89. Share your story.