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4.25.22 | read time: 3 min

Acts of Kindness in 2022’S First Quarter

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At 116 & West we commit to performing 116 Acts of Kindness (116 AOK) each year, no matter how big or small. Each month, we participate in at least one event that can impact our community or environment in a positive way.

Here’s all the kindness we spread in Q1 for 2022

January – Walk Your Dog Month

Did you know that January is Walk Your Dog Month? Neither did many of us at 116 & West. Because our agency is such a dog-friendly place, this seemed like a perfect opportunity for an AOK.

On any given day, you can see one of us walking our dog around the block in downtown Boise. However, in January, even those without pups walked dogs for other family members or neighbors. Westies took to the neighborhood to help our furry friends get some fresh air. We snapped some photos of ourselves and enjoyed a little bonding time with our fluffs.

A little history on Dog Walking Month: “The Association of Pet Obesity Prevention released a clinical study in 2017, stating that 56% of dogs in the United States are obese. That equates to over 50 million dogs across the country…January may seem like a cold month to be placing emphasis on dog walking, but that’s why it is the right time to do it and if you can start a habit of it.” Additionally, you and your pup can both benefit from getting outside and being active!

February – Trash Club

Another outdoor activity that we enjoyed in February was volunteering for Trash Club. Per their website, “Trash Club is a Boise based non-profit with a mission of keeping the Treasure Valley litter-free.” We found that it’s also a great way to bond with our team while giving back to the community. 

Trash Club requests all volunteers sign up for events in advance and RSVP as the event date creeps closer– that’s all you need to do! They provide gloves, hand sanitizers, trash bags, and trash grabbers. Anyone is welcome, no previous trash experience is needed, and your little ones are welcome to participate. 

We took to Garden City by the greenbelt and used our grabbers to fill about 3 large Glad bags of trash! And, “as of March 2022, Trash Club has picked up an estimated 3,851 pounds of trash”–love it!

If you’re interested in a fun and productive way to give back, check out their website

March – Zoo Boise

We started communications with Zoo Boise in the beginning of March and asked if we could help with their Easter Eggstravaganza (which took place on April 9th and 10th after a two year hiatus). Our volunteer activity was hands-on and creative–papier-mâché–and it was so much fun!

We papier-mâchéd approximately 40 eggs for animal enrichment on those days. Zoo employees placed the paper eggs in the animal enclosures for them to play with. We also filled hundreds, maybe even thousands, of plastic eggs with candy. After we finished, we received the opportunity to tour the zoo as the best “thank you” we could’ve ever imagined.

If you’re interested in other volunteer opportunities with Zoo Boise, check out their website.

Continuing Kindness 

In the spirit of kindness, we feel the need to thank you. Thank you for taking the time to read about our acts of kindness. Thank you for learning about volunteer opportunities in your community. And thank you (in advance) for staying kind for the entirety of 2022–we’re going to put in the work to do the same!

1.31.22 | read time: 3 min

Kindness in 2021’s Fourth Quarter

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At 116 & West we commit to performing 116 Acts of Kindness (116 AOK) each year, no matter how big or small. Each month, we participate in at least one event that can impact our community or environment in a positive way.

Here’s all the kindness that happened in Q4!

October – St. Luke’s Coloring Books

Over the past four years, we’ve partnered with Fisher’s Technology to make Halloween-themed coloring books for St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital. We have some gifted and generous designers, so it’s a no-brainer for us to take on this project each year.

The Halloween coloring books are for the littles who are unable to dress up or trick-or-treat on Halloween. These coloring books also feature activities, like crossword puzzles and mazes. In addition to the coloring books, children receive a small pack of crayons. We hope to help cheer up those little goblins who can’t be home or out gathering candy on Halloween.

If you are interested in finding other ways to help St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital, visit their website for more information regarding their programs, donation information, and volunteer opportunities.

November – Holiday Dinner Baskets

For November, the Westies split into three teams. Each team created a food basket for families in need at Hillcrest Elementary School. The baskets held all the non-perishable trimmings and treats to prepare a festive dinner. We also supplied gift cards so families had access to perishable items to complete the meal. One of our teams even shared some of their favorite holiday recipes!

The trunk of my Outback was jam-packed, but I will forgo the bragging opportunity and focus on what is important. Take, for instance, some projections about food security in Idaho provided by the Idaho Foodbank:

  • More than 202,390 Idahoans may have experienced food insecurity in 2021 due to the pandemic–this equates to 1 in 9 individuals.
  • Even more disconcerting is the 57,620 kids (1 in 8 of Idaho’s children) who could be living with hunger.

If you want to make a difference, the Idaho Foodbank has lots of information regarding volunteer opportunities on their website, so, check it out!

December – WCA Christmas

The Women’s and Children’s Alliance (WCA) is a secure, transitional shelter program for women and children fleeing domestic violence and/or sexual assault. Their crisis program is an invaluable asset for the Boise community, and we’re lucky to have them!

Each Christmas, local businesses and individuals are invited to sponsor a family through the WCA (via holiday gift giving). Once we received the good word that we had been selected to sponsor a family, we then got the list of much needed items/gifts desired by our family. Then, we got to work to fulfill that wish list.

We gift-wrapped the presents, labeled them appropriately (while the family remains anonymous), and then delivered them to the WCA. We internally funded this project. If they couldn’t donate, Westies happily volunteered to wrap or deliver gifts.

We feel a great deal of gratitude knowing we can help a family have a nice Christmas in spite of life’s difficulties. If you are interested in other volunteer opportunities with WCA, check out their website. They also have a year-round wish list for their clients that you can check out as well.

Continuing Kindness in 2022

In the spirit of kindness, we feel the need to thank you. Thank you for taking the time to review our Q4 acts of kindness. Thank you for learning about volunteer opportunities in your community. And thank you (in advance) for staying kind for the entirety of 2022.

10.19.21 | read time: 3 min

Summer of Kindness: Q3 116 AOK Review

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At 116 & West we commit to performing 116 Acts of Kindness (116 AOK) each year, no matter how big or small.  Each month, we participate in at least one event that can impact our community or environment in a positive way.

Here’s a recap of our third quarter Acts of Kindness.

July

In July, we couldn’t decide on which of two organizations to donate. So, we did both! The two amazing orgs were Dress for Success Boise Valley and Boise State University’s COBE Career Services Career Closet.

Dress for Success

Dress for Success was designed to help women exclusively. They work with City of Lights, WCA, and a post-incarceration program to help women get their lives back on track. Dress for Success works with referral agencies that give women the skills they need to get an interview and job. Dress for Success provides the finishing touches for women to help further achieve that goal.

We contacted them to find out what was most needed. Their response was handbags, so we donated 50+ gently-used handbags and totes to their cause. (They also have an awesome mobile unit to help women in more rural areas that are unable to get to their boutique.)

COBE Career Closet

Boise State University’s COBE Career Closet provides donated professional clothing at no cost to Boise State students. Available items are perfect for interviews, career fairs, and everything a student could need to land a career (clothing-wise). Students can “shop” the closet during scheduled appointments.

The Career Closet wants to foster student success by ensuring equitable access to professional clothing.They value accessibility and inclusion by serving all gender, body types and life stages. Given that, we rehomed professional clothing such as suit jackets and blazers, dress pants, and collared shirts for all genders. Our female-identifying Westies brought in skirts and dresses.

August

In August, we hosted a pet food drive for the Idaho Humane Society’s (IHS) Pet Pantry. The IHS Pet Food Pantry is designed to provide resources for struggling pet owners and other animal shelters. They provide pet food for Meals on Wheels deliveries to homebound seniors, families with economic hardship, shelter animals living in IHS foster homes, and other welfare groups in need of occasional pet food support.

They have guidelines and requirements for their food distribution as well as online applications that pet owners and other shelters can apply to for assistance. IHS also has an extensive list of drop-off locations for you to leave your donation.

Their greatest needs are:

  • Canned cat food
  • Canned dog food
  • Kitten milk replacer (KMR)
  • Kitten and puppy food
  • Puppy pads
  • Peanut Butter (Xylitol free)

The agency came together to donate two large 50 lb. bags of dry dog food, two large boxes of dog biscuits, several cans of pumpkin, three large boxes of canned cat food, along with other miscellaneous animal treats and goodies.

September

A Kids in Need Foundation (KINF) survey revealed that teachers can spend up to two paychecks each year to purchase school supplies. As kiddos headed back to school, we gathered and purchased supplies for Timberline High School and a first-year 5th grade teacher at Christine Donnell School of the Arts.

Timberline needs items like 3-ring binders, binder dividers, pencil pouches, pencils, colored pencils, pens, glue sticks, spiral notebooks, etc. So, we gathered as many supplies as we could and sent them Timberline’s way.

If you want to donate supplies to Timberline, or any local high school for that matter, contact their administration office at ​​208-854-6230.

We helped the 5th grade teacher with hand sanitizers, Clorox wipes, batteries, pens, clip boards, reusable water bottles, colored pencils and pens, reusable water bottles, hand sanitizers, pencil pouches, erasers and crackers.  

Rectangular image. Teacher in a classroom smiling in front of a pile of various school supplies.

If you are looking to help children with school supplies, just do it!

Stay Kind

We have an entire year of 116 Acts of Kindness events planned! Keep tabs on our progress and learn how you can get involved by following us on all the socials, @116andwest, and coming back to our blog.

Have any ideas for future Acts of Kindness? Give us a holler!