Photo of the Week #25: “Looking For Human Warmth”
Photo and Text by Marianna Smolina
“A boy has met a cat, who so needed love and tenderness. Russia.”
This image was submitted to our 2018 Our World is Kind Photography Contest.
#NiceWork! Great Harvest Bread in Anchorage, Alaska does phenomenal business. For the past several years, it’s held the top spot in sales for restaurants in Anchorage. But their success can’t simply be explained by their infamously fresh and organic bread. Anchorage owners Barb Hood and Dirk Sisso believe that 90% of sales are due to the restaurant’s connection with the local community. Anchorage residents know that a purchase at Great Harvest Bread is a purchase that supports Anchorage.
Great Harvest Bread, a franchise, with over 100 locations throughout the United States is unique. The company doesn’t solely focus on profits. In fact, the company’s tops priorities, aside from making delicious bread, are freedom and people. The parent company encourages each individual branch to do what’s best for their location and connect to their customers in a unique and personalized way. That’s why to many Anchorage residents, Great Harvest feels like home.
Ever since the Barb and Dirk opened shop in 1994, they’ve been a community favorite. They’re probably most well known for their generosity of spirit. As Bonnie Harry, an employee of Great Harvest, explained, “It’s not for show. They do it because generosity to others is part of who they are. The fact that it benefits the business is a bonus.”
Barb and Dirk’s generosity radiates through Great Harvest. They’re frequent donors, and they let the community choose where a large portion of their donations go by encouraging Anchorage residents to submit requests to support local events. Over the years, they’ve supported hundreds of events including annual fundraisers for Breast Cancer and Leukemia research. The restaurant is also an official partner with three schools: West High School, Romig Middle School and North Star Elementary, where they support school events with bread and cookies.
Great Harvest may be most famous for their exceptionally large free samples. When speaking with Envision Kindness, Barb explained an instance in which a young girl came to the counter to get a free sample. She returned again a few minutes later to get another. When Barb saw this, she encouraged the girl to bring a third piece back to her mother. Upon hearing this, the mother burst into tears. “You never know where people are coming from,” Barb explained. “So, you just try to do your best.” Two families have even come up to Barb to tell her how important this free bread has been to them during tough times over the years. Great Harvest also donates unsold items to the local food bank, Beanz Café, each day.
Barb and Dirk even lend out their restaurant’s space. They have made their shop into a community center, helping local artists display their work and hosting open mic nights for poets, musicians, and others. This personalized engagement with customers and customer values has allowed Great Harvest to become a cornerstone in the community.
Outside of Great Harvest, Barb is known for taking pictures of underrepresented populations and telling their stories. Dirk is currently serving as president of the local neighborhood Basher Community Council, working to protect natural places among other things. Dirk carries his interest in environmental protection to the bakery. Great Harvest has received Green Star’s award for environmental responsibility, a shining example of an eco-friendly business.
Inspired by Barb and Dirk’s Great Harvest in Anchorage? No need to fly to Alaska. Check out what your local Great Harvest is up to these days. No Great Harvests near you? Think about what can you can do to be help others in your community.
Brewed Awakenings is serving community, one cup of coffee at a time. At this warm little coffee shop in Newark, Delaware, people are the focus. The shop is known for hosting residents from all walks of life and making all feel welcome.
As a psychologist, owner and founder J.D. Willetts knows the importance of kindness, conversation, and relationships. When he opened the coffee shop in 2015, he had a strong focus: community. Good coffee is a plus (and trust us, they do have it), but the real focus here is on the friendly space. “…I want to spread the love. I want this to be a place where people are physically, emotionally, spiritually safe,” Willetts said in an interview with Honey Grow.
Though you will find Willets at the shop most days, he doesn’t keep a dime of the revenue at Brewed Awakenings. Instead, profit is used to help the community. Willets also tries to be free as much as possible so that he can do what he’s best at: talk. He loves to take the time to sit and chat with customers.
One true example of kindness at Brewed Awakenings is their Community Cup program. For $1.50 and a personalized sticky note, customers have the option to pay it forward and prepay for a coffee for someone in need. And if someone comes in for a sandwich too? No problem – sticky notes can be redeemed for food too.
Love what Brewed Awakenings is doing but aren’t in Newark, DE? The spirit of community can be spread to your hometown. Ask your local coffee shop what they think about starting a community cup program, or go out and buy someone a coffee today.
The town of East Lyme, Connecticut was touched by the most beautiful holiday gesture at the end of 2016. A customer of Twist Yarn Shoppe in Niantic, CT decked the local town green with knit mittens, scarfs, and hats for those who may need a little extra warmth this holiday season.
In the spirit of the season, a loyal and sweet customer of Twist Yarn Shoppe worked hard to knit mittens, scarfs, and hats this past year. This customer, who wishes to remain anonymous, then put out all of these gorgeous knits on the East Lyme town green for those in need of warmth. This beautiful gesture sparked what will be an even bigger event this coming holiday season. Twist Yarn Shoppe is in the middle of planning a year long project to “scarf bomb” the town. Knits will be made and placed around town for those in need.
Jen and Lisa, at Twist Yarn Shoppe, are a mother-daughter team who have a passion for knitting. Their recently opened shop seeks to embrace knitting being trendy again. What the owners really hope to do is offer a hobby, a lifestyle, and a sense of community. In addition to yarns and knit products, the shop regularly hosts events that they hope “will bring people together, forge new friendships and provide an environment for all to flourish at knitting!”
If you or someone you know enjoys knitting, or would like to learn, the more the merrier for this year’s town “scarf bomb” event. Visit Twist Yarn Shoppe or contact Jen and Lisa at 860.451.8213.
To learn more about other organizations that create acts of kindness based around knitting you can visit Knit-a-Square and Warm Up America. These great organizations accept donations to help spread warmth to those in need.