World Kindness Day: What kindness means to residents around the Basin

PERMIAN BASIN (KMID/KPEJ) – Whether it's helping a neighbor or volunteering, it's time to stop and do something kind. In light of this, we visited several local non-profits to see what kindness means to them.

"Today being World Kindness Day, you think about ways to be kind to one another, and that could be a positive word or positive action. I think about here at Meals on Wheels the kindness of our volunteers. They show up every day, they help us deliver the meals, and we talk about the meals are certainly an important part of what we do, but the knock on the door, the kind smile, the friendly conversation, just that minute of time that they spend with our clients is so impactful and so important because a lot of the folks that we visit with, we're the only people they see all day," said Craig Stoker, Executive Director at Meals on Wheels.

Meals on Wheels is going the extra mile for people across the Basin every day. In Odessa, Stoker said their mission is centered around kindness.

"And when you look at an organization like ours, when you come up here in the morning and everybody's loading their bags and getting ready to go out and planning their routes, the positive energy that surrounds this room where we are right now, it's infectious. It's hard to be in here and leave and be in a bad mood, so being around kind people and people doing kind actions is a great way to improve your own attitude and your own day. So I think being kind is infectious," said Stoker.

That same sentiment is echoed across West Texas.

"Kindness can really transform a community in just impacting needs, making sure that everybody feels connected and feels like they're a part of what's going on in the community. And really just helping reinforce that there are good people out there trying to do good things and just spreading that goodness," said Clint Dickson, Executive Director at Permian Basin Gifts of Hope.

"We provide kindness to cancer patients specifically here at Gifts of Hope. You know, the simplest way to get involved is just writing notes, drop them off for us to put in our lunch sacks, and that's something that any age person can do is just write a note as simple as saying, just keep fighting, thinking of you, praying for you. It makes such a world of difference," continued Dickson.

In the Tall City, Senior Life Midland is working to make sure that every senior is cared for.

"There's millions of stories that I could share with you over my many, many years here, and some are sad because there are people that don't have a lot of abilities, but they still have purpose in their life, and they want to have purpose. And there are those that have a lot of abilities, and we utilize those abilities to help others. So we do, we have eight programs here at Senior Life Midland, and each one of them is designed for certain people. Not all of us are the same," said Saul Herrera, Director of Communications at Senior Life Midland.

"I see a quest for knowledge in the younger volunteers or younger people, and just opening up their eyes to the possibilities. You know, we do so many great things here at this agency besides delivering meals. We have this tree behind me here. It's called the warming tree, providing warm items for our homebound. People that may have no family, but yet, you know, they are still special people to a lot of people, especially to us," continued Herrera.

Serving meals to those in need is nothing new to the Midland Soup Kitchen Ministry.

"Kindness looks really different for us. It looks, it tastes good. It's in our food. It's something that one meal can inspire anybody to go out and maybe pick up a meal for somebody else, pay for the person behind you in line. It's something that food brings us all together, and when they're here, they get that kindness, but they also get the love of Christ, and that might be the kindest thing of all," said Nathen Ivy with the Soup Kitchen.

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"It's a humbling experience for people to come into a ministry like ours. It's something that a lot of people are embarrassed, and so when they come in, and they get that feeling of kindness, they get that smile, they get that warm energy, I just think that's the most important thing to changing those speculations and those mindsets of what a soup kitchen might look like, and just what kindness looks like," said Ivy.

At Sibley Nature Center, kindness also looks a little different, giving back to the Earth.

"Having respect for the natural world, the plants, the animals, and here at Sumi Nature Center, we are all about teaching our citizens about the beauty and the nature of our own home, the Anahuisticado region of west Texas and eastern New Mexico," said Micheal Nickell with the Nature Center.

"Well, it's our home, and I think it's important to understand about one's home. I think that once you know a little bit about home, that you might be curious about it, have questions about it, and hopefully one day you'll be so familiar with home that a sense of love will develop between you and home, and with that sense of love comes a certain amount of pride, and ownership, and respect, and things like that, and so just basically take better care of the place," continued Nickell.

You can find out more about what kindness means to people around the Basin in the video above.