Social media users responded positively to Garner’s video, with some promising to incorporate the technique into their daily lives.
Jennifer Garner has been a longtime proponent of small acts of kindness that make people smile. This week, the “13 Going on 30″ star shared a straightforward tip on Instagram for helping others and perhaps making a significant difference in someone’s life. In the brief video, the 49-year-old actor gave toothbrushes, socks, tissues, granola bars, and other necessities to homeless individuals after filling a Ziploc bag with them.” Random act of kindness: gather these essentials in a quart-sized Ziploc bag and keep them in your car to give away when you see someone in need. Inspired by my kind friend, @whitneyformt.” Garner gave her post a caption.
“A pair of thick socks. Kleenex. Hand wipes. Disposable toothbrushes. Chapstick. A couple of granola bars. I forgot this time, but like to add feminine hygiene products, too. Add $5, $10, $20 and a smile,” Added she. Social media users responded positively to Garner’s video, with many promising to start giving zip-top plastic bags filled with necessities to those in need. “I did this a couple Christmases back and I honestly don’t know who got more out of it. I was walking on air after. It felt amazing,” commented @themindful88.
“Love this! Made about 60 packages of something similar for our local food pantries to hand out. It’s the little things you forget about that people really need like warm socks, feminine hygiene products, hand sanitizer etc,” wrote @myriambostwick. “This is brilliant and deeply kind. Adopting this immediately,” wrote @fionastiles. Garner doesn’t just advocate kindness on the platform; she also puts it into practice by showing kindness to strangers in the real world. According to TODAY, the celebrity made coffee purchases for customers at Starbucks and left tips for the staff in a video that was posted on her Instagram Story earlier this month.
“May I please have a mint tea grande?” Garner asked a barista before giving the employee money to cover the orders of customers behind her in line. “If I give you this to pay for the people behind me, and then this for you guys. So, that’s for you guys. This is just to pay for whoever is behind me. Is that OK? Just tell them to ‘have a good day!’ and pass it on.” In a text overlay on the video, Garner emphasized the importance of good deeds. “Coffee is always a worthwhile little act of kindness,” it read.
Back in January, the actress made homemade cookies and gave them to employees of the Emergency Medicine Department at the LAC+USC Medical Center, a facility connected to the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Once inside, the actor told the doctors, “I’m so sorry to take you away,” the actor told the medical professionals once inside. “I appreciate you,” she added, before taking a group photo with everyone as one staff member held Garner’s basket of treats for all to see. “#FirstResponders are still in the thick of it and miles past burn out,” the ‘Elektra’ star captioned the clip shared on TikTok. “We see you and appreciate you! (Thank you, #LACUSC Emergency Med!)”
“These random acts of kindness are happening all around us, all the time, everywhere,” Garner told PEOPLE in 2019. “The smallest acts—picking up trash at a local park, volunteering at a shelter, buying a cup of coffee for someone who needs it—make the world a happier, more gentle place… Kindness is contagious, truly.”