Blog

This Thanksgiving, we spread warmth with our client friends at Northwest Federal Credit Union as part of our Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) program! Our HQ team hit Walmart and filled carts with cozy winter essentials for local kids in need. 💙Read more

Our ARG Atlanta Volunteers came together on an icy cold Wednesday to sort, pack, and distribute food directly to patients at the Grady Asa G. Yancey Health Center. The team was thrilled to get together to help reduce food insecurity in their community and positively impact the health of Grady patients and their families byRead more

It wasn’t exactly random, but we went shopping for Dr. Bear’s Closet at Children’s National Hospital.  We checked out their wishlist in advance. My kids love LEGO, and I’ve seen firsthand how getting a new set can brighten a dark day and provide hours of entertainment. We had a blast picking out LEGO sets andRead more

We were inspired by one of the original RAK ideas from way back.  We went to Walmart and bought soccer balls, basketballs, kickballs, matchbox cars, and sandbox toys.  We delivered the items to a few playgrounds in lower-income neighborhoods.  Luckily, it was a cloudy school day and there weren’t many kids around so it didn’tRead more

We went to a locally owned coffee shop just down the street and ordered a coffee.  We gave the cashier $100 and asked them to buy coffee for people until the money ran out.  They loved the idea, and we got to sit back and watch people’s reactions.  I highly recommend this random act ofRead more

We piled 5 adults into the Wrangler and headed to the Aldi in Falls Church.  We had the best time thoroughly confusing people who were digging for a quarter by running up and handing them a cart.  So many of them tried to hand us money and it took a few minutes to explain whatRead more

We had a blast shopping and filling free pantries around our area with the folks from Retarus and Expedient as our Random Act of Kindness.  Sunshine and good vibes all around!   You can find more about Little Free Pantries here: https://www.littlefreepantry.org/what-we-do or find your nearest Little Free Pantry here: https://mapping.littlefreepantry.org/ and help your neighborsRead more

Our group gathered a ton of quarters and hit some laundromats.  We simply rolled in and handed out quarters to anyone we saw doing laundry.  If they had enough quarters, we told them to pass them on or save them for next time.  It was really fun.  Generally, there was some initial confusion followed byRead more

We were thrilled to partner with Undies for Everyone’s, Undies for Change Program to donate over 5,000 pairs of undies to Fairfax County PSI Families Experiencing Homelessness- Alexandria. They made it fun and easy to make a profound impact on the lives of children in our community. Thanks to everyone who attended! We were joinedRead more

I headed into Walmart on my lunch break to do some shopping for the Little Free Pantry and struck up a conversation with a gentleman riding a motorized shopping cart.  He asked if I could spare some change, and I told him I didn’t carry cash but would be happy to buy him some groceries. Read more

Here is what our engineers got up to on RAK day. Matt and I pooled together some money to add to RAK funds and ended up with $140.00. We drove into Sterling, VA, looking for a RAK opportunity, and ended up in the Sterling Blvd Shopping Center. Matt immediately noticed a woman looking very stressedRead more

Stephanie organized a team to help Calvary Women’s Services. They assist homeless women with various resources (counseling, shelter, job assistance, etc.) and do AMAZING things for the lives of their residents. They are excited to be opening two new locations and we were thrilled to help outfit them with linens and pillows to make theirRead more

Inspired by ARG’s RAK! After hearing about the random acts of kindness happening yesterday, some girls from my daughter’s Girl Scout troop gathered together last night and made sandwiches for Cornerstones, a homeless shelter here in Reston! -Deirdre  Read more

Lindsey and I left ARG HQ with our money in hand and some extra RAK cards.  We were determined to buy gas for a few people and fill a local little free pantry.  The first stop was the grocery, then we drove and filled up the pantry.  Next, was the gas station where we lurkedRead more

One of our team members spent time at Children’s National with his sister when he was younger, so the consulting team decided to focus our RAK on them.  We reached out and they had some great suggestions on what they could use.  We made bags for younger kids with crayons, coloring books, activity books, andRead more

For our Random Acts of Kindness Day, our group delivered some much-needed items to McLean Baptist Church’s Share of Mclean Food Pantry https://www.shareofmclean.org/.   Their organization is 50 years old and their website has great detail about their services.  We were met by Erica who gave us an overview of their services along with a tourRead more

I have a friend who has very aggressive breast cancer. She is trying to play it cool by not asking for any help, never complaining, and keeping it all together for her 12-year-old son.  Recently she found out she needs to have a palette transfusion, which is never good. Yesterday I decided that I wasRead more

I won a $25 gift card while at the office and in true ARG fashion was encouraged to perform a Random Act of Kindness. I thought that was a great idea and a core part of the spirit that makes ARG such a great team. Last week a friend, Mr. Chandler Daye, (who does soRead more

I just wanted to share with you some things we’re donating to Toys for Tots locally. I’ve collected these over the year and can’t wait for my sister to take them to our local fire department for donations! Every kid deserves a good Christmas 🎅 -EmilyRead more

We have so much to be thankful for this holiday season.  We are especially grateful for the opportunity to help families in Arlington that are facing food insecurity by banding together with others from our elementary school community to support a local little free pantry which we fill up after I pick the kids upRead more

While I was in the grocery store, I noticed saw two kids at the coin machine eagerly counting a backpack full of pennies. When they finished, they had $44, which I matched. The excitement on their faces was priceless! – StephanieRead more

I haven’t been able to get ahead this week to plan and prep food in advance, so I ran to Café Rio after work to pick up dinner for the family.  I met a gentleman outside who was asking for change.  I didn’t have any cash, so I offered to buy him dinner while IRead more

Food insecurity is a big issue in my community and the little free pantry at my boys’ elementary school gets a lot of traffic.  I bought cases of pantry staples, and the boys and I loaded up the car to fill up the pantry this weekend.  We stocked it full of their favorites, like peanutRead more

I wanted to share the care bags for the homeless I’ve put together. I went to the store and got basic health items, plus some extras.  I put these together in a bag and tuck in bottles of water. They are perfect for the homeless in my area, something that is very prevalent where IRead more

I love to read and I love our local library. The staff has faced many challenges during COVID, having to limit access to the building and only offering curbside pickup. They still manage to get books out to readers in our community and everyday there are people stopping by to check out books. I decidedRead more

I conducted my last two random acts of kindness while working on my project with ARG . I went to the grocery store on a Friday night to grab a few items. I first spotted a couple when I walked in and thought it would be nice to brighten their evening since the weather hadRead more

I really wanted 2021 to be the biggest year of RAK’s ever. I decided to do a 1000 Pie Mission to raise $25k for this community in Loudoun. I first heard about it about a year ago and had no idea it existed. I took a ride out there about a month ago and decidedRead more

On National Random Act of Kindness day, we had to drop our car off at the service station to get some work done.  This mechanic has been great to us, always helping when me, Chris or our girls have a car problem. They’ve proven to be trustworthy, helpful and never steer us the wrong direction.Read more

Many of the ways that people fundraise have turned to an online presence over the past year.  People who generally do a great job fundraising in person, but are not a fan of social media, are struggling this year. I chose to help my friend, whose father had bilateral lung transplant and is now onRead more