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Residents pay it forward with kindness

By: Country Meadows |

April means one thing at Country Meadows: Practice Random Acts of Kindness. Organization co-founder, Mary Jane Leader, made kindness a daily practice so, to honor her memory, Country Meadows dedicates an entire month to going the extra mile. We set aside the month of April for paying-it-forward and looking for the extra opportunities to make the lives of others a little brighter through a simple, kind gesture.

Mary Jane Leader

This year, Country Meadows of York extended help, kindness and companionship to the clients at Mr. Sandy’s Homeless Veteran’s Shelter in York City. Through the month, co-workers collected toiletries and nonperishables while residents packaged them into individual care kits. But rather than drop off the kits and call it a day, our Country Meadows co-workers delivered the kits with a bus load of veterans from the campus. The dining team made a delicious meal while our veterans sat with the homeless veterans to eat and socialize.

 

Watch a video of their day together.

Continue reading to see the other acts of kindness from all of the Country Meadows campuses.

Allentown—Country Meadows of Allentown joined local businesses and churches to gather donations for homeless, unsheltered veterans living in the Lehigh Valley. Residents, families and co-workers donated throughout the month of February and, in March, the Country Meadows family gathered to fill emergency kits for the veterans. We included hand-written notes from our Connections Memory Support residents which added a personal touch. There were a total of eight carts filled with emergency kits.

Bethlehem—Country Meadows of Bethlehem residents delivered a prepared lunch to Hospice House co-workers and families. They also delivered coffee and donuts to AARP Tax preparers at the library, distributed co-worker appreciation cards with candy attached, handed out flowers to the members of the Bethlehem Township Community Center and served ice cream to a local Adult Day Care.

Forks of Easton—Country Meadows of Forks in Easton built a produce stand for Project Food Pantry which serves homeless individuals in the Easton area. They cleaned, built and stocked the food pantry like new. This helped the food pantry with its efforts to feed 400 people a week!

Frederick—Country Meadows of Frederick residents and co-workers went on an outing to hand out goodie bags to everyone they met. They gave out treats at the Salvation Army, the Religious Coalition, Bakers Park, Free State Garage, Men’s Rehabilitation and Spring Spa, as well as to random passersby. “We literally were handing them to people in cars we pulled beside (safely), people walking their dogs, joggers, etc… So many smiles we helped create with just the joy of giving. Residents were pooped at the end of the day!”

Hershey— Country Meadows of Hershey teamed up with Market Square Friends Ministry to participate in Purses with Purpose. Their mission was to collect new and gently used purses to fill with hygiene items for the homeless living under the bridges of Harrisburg. Residents and volunteers filled the purses on Volunteer Night and returned them to the ministry where they were distributed to homeless women over Mother’s Day weekend.

Lancaster— Country Meadows of Lancaster used Practice Random Acts of Kindness as a time to honor veterans. Residents made beautiful, hand-written cards that were distributed  to all former service members on campus.

Leader Heights—Country Meadows of York-South took a group of residents to the mall to hand out flowers and cards with inspirational quotes. They surprised and brightened the days of so many people with just a simple act!

South Hills—At Country Meadows of South Hills in Pittsburgh, a group of residents honored Random Acts of Kindness by baking cakes to donate to the St. Mary’s Fish Fry as a part of the parish’s fundraising efforts. Country Meadows of South Hills also received kindness in return when Crossroads Church Group came out for their annual service project. Every year they visit to prep the gardens, play games with our residents and pass out cards and treats to the residents and co-workers

West Shore—Country Meadows of Mechanicsburg (West Shore) co-workers and residents went out to lunch at a local diner and handed out cards with the message, “Have a wonderful Day.” They also gave their waitress a thank-you card with a chocolate bar. Connections Memory Support residents made handmade cards for other residents who were not feeling well or were in the hospital.

Wyomissing—Country Meadows of Wyomissing showed kindness at Penn State’s Berks campus. Residents made and handed out goodie bags to students to brighten their day and encourage them through their exams! The residents said they had so much fun, and the students loved the goodie bags, especially the bottle of bubbles.

York—In addition to preparing the aforementioned care kits for Mr. Sandy’s Homeless Shelter, co-workers and residents also bagged goodies for home care liaisons, sharing kindness with the caretakers who support our residents.

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  • Nursing & Rehab Center: 610-882-4110
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  • Wyomissing: 610-374-3122
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