Holidays are a time of giving and receiving. Daily Gate City asked people to share acts of kindness they have experienced in the community. Many community members have shared their experiences, but only a few can be shared here.
As the community continues to reach out, gaps will be filled and differences will be set aside. It changes your perspective, heals your mind, and alleviates your problems.
“There are so many great people at Keokuk. At the beginning of the pandemic, when everyone was home, Kathy and Mike Mahoney brought us pizza from Lucky’s a few times. Bake cookies for us and drop them off.
“In the meantime, I struggled to find apples in the store. Apples are my kids’ favorite snack. I was.
“These were great gestures in a time of great uncertainty.
“Ron and Linda Bevard are such wonderful neighbors. , each year you will receive an additional bag of presents from “Secret Santa” who has a very similar handwriting to Linda’s. — Mara Drew
“I don’t know personally, but there is a woman whose daughter is having health problems and is depressed. and gifts.” — Misty Grant
“In honor of our late eight-year-old daughter, I have a friend who has spent the past few years collecting hats, gloves, and scarves to brave the cold and string them to a tree in a local park. Like her friend, she was a very brave and caring girl, and she deserved recognition.” -Jennifer Butchell
“I have been struggling financially for months because of my husband’s brain tumor. One of my co-workers was the sweetest person ever.She came to me a week ago and handed me the gift card she was given for Aldi.She has a lot. I was so grateful I started crying on the spot.There are still good people out there.” — Clara Watts
“My daughter and I paid for groceries for an older woman. We gave some guys $5 to buy a stranger’s meal. All ideas for my 10-year-old each time.” Also, (my) husband paid $60 for a gift for one of my best friends.” -Daniel Kemper
“New warming center in Keokuk. Keokuk Homeless Alliance worked hard to get it open.”
“I have worked hard to move up in order to earn more and provide more for my family. But no matter how much I made, it still seemed like we were drowning in. I owed more to my nursery school than I’d like to admit. I almost went to bed feeling like I betrayed my kids every night, the second year I borrowed Christmas money from my mother-in-law, and I was completely defeated. I’m glad she gave it to me and will continue to thank me for it, but I was so embarrassed that I was just relying on her to provide my children with Christmas and that I was making double the first.
“After paying the last few bucks so I could work for the day, I was on my way home in a taxi when a few cars stopped. I was saying goodbye to the taxi driver when I noticed these people getting out of the car and approaching me. I noticed Jasmine Scott, who works at the nursery school my children go to, and I quickly realized that these cars were filled with Christmas presents for the babies. “What’s going on?” I asked, laughing so as not to cry. Time and time again, I half expected the camera crew to pop out somewhere. Her husband came out and was just as shocked. We cried together at the end!
“In research, Jasmine reached out to Tina Hall Adams, the mother figure in my life, to get her children’s clothing sizes. Jasmine and her church, Calvary Foursquare, , because he chose my family to donate Christmas presents to help the family.
Whenever the struggles of life begin to kill my spirit, I am immediately reminded of how kind, thoughtful, helpful, giving, and wonderful some people are in this world.
“I paid it forward and will continue to pay it forward for the rest of my life. I make it my duty to give back as people have done for me.”-Michaela Wilson
Last week, while picking up my daughters at Fort Madison Middle School, the van came to a complete stop. I ran to the school to contact their father, but he wasn’t able to go there for a while.
“I had a couple help me jump start my car. The broken van was the icing on the cake, and the couple who took the time to help me realized something was wrong, so the woman hugged me and told me everything was fine. Their jump got me out of traffic and onto Circle Drive.I thanked the couple.They said how much it meant to help me. I don’t understand at all.” — Mary Cove
