Hockey Moms Come To The Rescue, Helpful Neighbors Step In & A Teen Steps Up: Good Deeds Are Happening

Kindness can take many forms. Sometimes it’s something small — a simple favor that brightens someone’s day. Other times, it’s people offering help in unexpected moments.

That’s why Patch and T-Mobile launched Good Deeds, Great Communities — an effort to highlight the many ways people show up for one another in towns across the country. From everyday gestures to thoughtful acts of support, these moments reflect the care and connection that help communities thrive.

If you’ve witnessed or experienced a recent act of kindness in your community — whether through a local effort or an everyday moment of generosity — you’re invited to share it here. If you’re submitting a story about someone else, please be sure you have their permission before sharing their experience.

At the end of the submission period, Patch will select one community, at Patch’s discretion, and make a charitable donation of $500 to a local nonprofit. Below are just a few of the stories readers have shared so far.

Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Vernon, Connecticut — K. Lynch

"I was going to watch a hockey game and was walking in the crowded lobby and didn’t see the hockey stick in my path, tripped over it, and fell down hard. I broke the eyeglasses I was wearing, and the side piece was stuck in my head over my right eyebrow. Immediately, I was surrounded by concerned hockey moms who came to my rescue. One of them, being an ER nurse, pulled out the damaged side of my glasses and evaluated my situation, proceeded to clean me up, and bandaged me. I am forever grateful to her and the other hockey moms who came to my aid."

Oakhurst, California — Patricia Privett

"Our neighbor, Sean S., has helped us several times: he used a chainsaw to clear a fallen tree from our driveway. He helped us get home in a snowstorm at night. He repaired our riding lawn mower and would take no payment. He has blown leaves, picked up twigs and leaves out of being a great neighbor. We are in our 80s, and he has offered his help many times. Excellent neighbor."

Santa Fe, New Mexico — Diane Gorgy

"Although it is a very small act of kindness, when I am walking my dogs in the morning, if someone's newspaper is lying on the sidewalk or on the grass, I pick it up and toss it on their porch so it won't get damaged or wet from rain or snow."

East Greenwich, Rhode Island — Alexandra Szabo

"I had placed a grocery order online… To ensure my youngest didn’t feel excluded, I included a bag of gummy worms for him. While my order was being shopped for, the woman (Tatyana) informed me there were no gummy worms in the store… When my grocery order arrived at my home, there was a note on top with a pack of gummy worms. Tatyana had made an extra stop at another grocery store so that my son would not go without. I was completely taken aback by the extra step and the kindness displayed."

Lafayette, Louisiana — Zita Foley-Guidry

"Mrs. Angie L.C. from Scott/Lafayette/Carencro has been doing undercover good deeds for humans and animals since I have known her as my neighbor in the 1990s. I could do a laundry list of her good deeds, but she would say I stole her blessings ... She's a true unsung hero and fighter for good and human decency. She is amazing and should be acknowledged!"

Redding, Connecticut — Kathleen

"I am a 'rescuer.' I adopted five children, three as teens. For 15 years, I rescued and fostered abused cats and kittens, bunnies, wildlife, a betta fish, and one Dumbo rat."

Cranford, New Jersey — Steven Saltzmar

"Thank you so much to Andrew in Cranford who kindly and graciously helped clear the snow from my car. What a mensch!"

Brooklyn, Michigan — Tina

"My husband is the good deed doer. He shovels the snow and cuts the grass for all of our elderly neighbors for free. He has four accounts on his lawn and snow route plus our own property. The neighbors just love him. He will also do anything else that is asked of him."

Round Rock, Texas — Jennifer Brown

"My next-door neighbor is always looking to help out. My husband has been hospitalized around the holiday season for the past two years. She has provided countless meals to us. She will bring cookies to new neighbors to welcome them to the neighborhood. This year, she brought black-eyed peas and cornbread to all of the neighbors to bring us good luck because she said we all need it to start the year off right."

Hinsdale, Illinois — Jane

"Last week, a nice young man from the high school came and knocked on my door. He said he found credit cards that belonged to me! They ended up being my daughter-in-law’s, who was frantic looking for them. I wish I had some cash to give him. This was no doubt hard for a high school boy, and he could’ve used the cards himself, but instead, he must’ve looked up the name and found my address. It gives you a lot of faith in the future!"

Lafayette, Indiana — Harry O.

"When we have a lot of snow, our neighbor Ken clears the sidewalks and drives for everyone in the court. I am 75 and on a low budget, and he does it for free. What a man! But his wife lets him take the time from her, so she is a 'good deeder' also."

New York, New York — Jeanne Anne Knowlton

"I am at the 125th St. Metro-North train station in Manhattan. Time to spare… Elevator to platform. Baby shoe lost in elevator. Take shoe and leave it at the ticket window… Return to the elevator and go to the platform. Walk the platform. See baby with one shoe (matches lost shoe). Mami hasn’t noticed. I say, 'I know where it is. I’ll get it.'I have time, and I do. Shoe lost; baby found. Reunited. Happy mami (muchas gracias, nada, etc.); happy me. Sometimes I love New York."

Phoenix, Arizona — Beth Haveman

"My husband is on a very restricted, salt-free diet… We called Paul Martin’s for menu advice and reached Guest Service Manager Andrea Piacatelli-Bateman. She, along with the kitchen staff, walked us through what he could have… When we arrived, she personally took our order and ensured it was prepared 'salt-restricted safe.' We were so grateful for the care she took and the confidence she gave us. Thank you, Andrea, for your compassion, knowledge, and attention to detail."

Kansas City, Missouri — Kathleen Swift

"My cleaning company recently teamed up with the nonprofit Cleaning for a Reason. We deliver free house cleaning to cancer patients. We have already delivered four such cleanings and we are lining up to deliver more."

Oak Lawn, Illinois — Terri Bonneville

"I started making blankets for my granddaughters’ stuffed animals. After making about 20 stuffed-animal blankets, a good friend of mine who is a breast cancer survivor said she wished she had a lap blanket when she was going through chemotherapy. Now I make lap blankets for chemotherapy patients. I donate them to the Wellness House in Hinsdale, Illinois. I also send blankets to Florida to my mom to be given to anyone in need."

Have a Story to Share?

If you’ve recently experienced or taken part in an act of kindness in your community — whether it was something simple or more involved — we want to hear about it. Stories can be brief or more detailed, and if you’re submitting a moment involving someone else, please be sure you have their permission.

When submitting, you’ll be asked to include your state and ZIP code. This information helps reflect where stories are coming from as submissions are collected throughout the campaign. Readers are welcome to submit more than one story, highlighting the many ways people look out for one another.

You’re also encouraged to let others in your community know about the project and invite them to share their own experiences. At Patch’s discretion, select submissions may be featured in future Good Deeds, Great Communities coverage.

Click here to submit an act of kindness for Good Deeds, Great Communities.

Leaderboard results are for engagement purposes only. Any donation associated with the project will be made by Patch, and the recipient will be determined by Patch.