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Goodacity – Dare to be Good

Olha Sahal
Written by
Olha Sahal
Written by Olha Sahal
Technical Writer at United Thinkers

I am the author of the Goodacity blog, a journalist, and a translator. For 16 years, I have worked in professional journalism, contributing to regional and national publications, both in print and online media. I have written reports, conducted interviews, reviews, articles on cultural, social, and charitable topics, as well as materials in the style of "solution journalism" and communication materials.
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Yulia Didyk
Reviewed by
Yulia Didyk
Reviewed by Yulia Didyk
Culture Manager at United Thinkers

I am a manager of cultural affairs and a project manager with over 14 years of experience at United Thinkers. I have participated in the organization of numerous successful social and charitable projects and have implemented informational campaigns and communication cases.
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Recipe for "A extravaganza of impressions"

Do you have the recipe that turns an ordinary day into an extravaganza of impressions? Do you like to taste some delicious new snacks? On this trail of good, we will become extraordinary chefs and show you how to cook something out of this world. We invite you to taste happiness together!

Food allows you to enjoy the taste of different dishes. But how has it been since you last enjoyed spiritual food? It is not difficult to prepare a “mental” dish; you just need to gather the main ingredients, and you will get an explosive new taste of happiness!
— the Goodacity team
Start

Start

Vision and mood

We all have our favorite dishes and favorite recipes. Perhaps we do not cook them ourselves, but we love to taste something interesting in the restaurant. It is a special pleasure of life — eating delicious food, feasting, and tasting!

But we eat to live, not live to eat. So, it’s time to think about spiritual nourishment: what do our hearts and soul thrive on? What do we “taste” with our personality, and how does it affect us? And maybe not just us, but even the whole world! The volunteers of the Goodacity space unexpectedly found themselves as chefs. And now we know which dish is the most amazing and delicious!

Step

Step 1. The idea

Cooking happiness? It’s easy! And there are some secrets to acquiring a fantastic taste for that dish. The Goodacity volunteers always have them ready.

One winter, we met children from a school in the Chernihiv region, Ukraine, and put together a charitable New Year’s party for them. That was the first link in the chain of this story of kindness. Then, in the summer, Goodacity volunteer Oksana was invited to visit this same school we know so well. So, Oksana traveled to the Chernihiv region and was overcome with joy at discovering another opportunity to help the school!

Step

Step 2. The kitchen of the charity

Our charity kitchen started working at full capacity! One of the proven recipes of the good is to be open to the world. And the main ingredient of all good deeds is compassion, the ability to empathize and walk in others’ shoes. When you understand how people feel in difficult life circumstances, you feel the desire to make things better for them.

Oksana was warmly welcomed at the school, and the principal himself gave her a tour. Then, they headed toward the inner sanctum — the cafeteria! Oksana met the school cooks, all sweet and friendly women who clearly loved to cook for the children. The kitchen itself looked organized, clean, and well-kept.

The cafeteria was cozy and pleasant, and everything smelled so good that I wanted to update it and make it beautiful as well! For example, providing some new kitchen equipment.
— Oksana,
a Goodacity space volunteer

This is it — empathy, the main ingredient of a good deed! It is so important, considering how indifferent the world generally has become – when no one is bothered by the problems of others. And we know how valuable it is to draw attention to a problem and stick with it until it is resolved.

How often do schools or kindergartens in small towns receive gifts? How often do they upgrade their equipment, make repairs, or buy new furniture? Probably not as regularly as we would like for it to be. Especially when the school is located in a small village, as in this case. The Goodacity team felt that a good deed was long overdue here!

Step

Step 3. The goodness in the marketplace

So, our volunteer began searching for some high-quality kitchen utensils and pans for the cafeteria. She walked through the whole marketplace of the town and suddenly met another lover of good deeds. It was a seller of household items who had the proper certificates for all his goods. But the most important thing is that our story of kindness matched his taste as well. The man gave a 20% discount on the kitchenware!

Generosity is such a wonderful ingredient! The kitchenware seller knew for sure that his discount was valuable to us. It is not so much about the money saved but the understanding that many people around us also delight in good things. And they are ready to spread their kindness around the world, piece by piece.

I was pleasantly surprised by a woman looking for kitchenware for the school cafeteria. But I understood perfectly how important the endeavor was, as it was for children! Therefore, I did not hesitate to give a discount!
— Seller of the household market
Step

Step 4. Cooking happiness

So, the recipe for a good mood is as follows:

–  a desire to do good

–  attention and care

–  the pursuit of well-being for others

All the ingredients should be carefully mixed in your heart. If some component is missing, you should read a couple of incredible stories of kindness to get inspired.

Then brew some fragrant coffee and cook this dish on a low heat of love for people. Finally, add salt and sugar to your taste. And it will be delicious!

It was a real celebration when our volunteer, Oksana, brought the school new kitchenware! Who does not like to receive gifts, especially such necessary and useful ones?

The head cook in the cafeteria was simply over the moon with happiness! As she carefully touched the shiny pans and knives, she repeatedly whispered, “What a beauty! We will take good care of it”.

Being open and persistent is essential for success. This is true for our goodness kitchen too! To cook an original charity dish, you need to pursue your goal and not give up, whatever difficulties you might face. We see now that this is possible!

The Goodacity project charitably purchased kitchen utensils for the Dnipro Gymnasium, though this wasn’t their first campaign to help an educational institution. The school administration, students, and their parents are grateful for the project, and we encourage others to join the charity. Let's make the world a better place together!
— Vasyl Vasyilovich Kudrya,
director of the Dnipro Gymnasium
Finish

Finish

Time to sum it up

This is the dish our volunteers cooked! And more importantly, it suited everyone’s taste. Delicious for those who received the functional gifts and those who did the charity work. Because real good for your soul is like a spoonful of hot soup for a tired body: it brightens, gives strength, and makes you feel warm all over.

Now the spirits are high in the cafeteria of the village school. After all, the cooks are pleased to work with new utensils, and the students are happy to eat with new spoons and forks. Perhaps such a good deed as this can seem insignificant to some. However, the school kitchen is where sustenance for the future generation is prepared, and we would like each dish to be exceptionally nourishing and tasty. And the kitchenware will help with this! 

A good deed makes for a delicious meal!

Charity is like a cup of hot coffee in the morning. Once you get into the habit of doing good, you can no longer go without it. Both delicious coffee and kindness make you feel refreshed with happiness!
— Yulia,
the Goodacity space volunteer

Weighing the results

We all like to eat well and have a good time. We have our favorite dishes; we go to our favorite restaurants. But what if, before going to the coffee shop again, you stop and think,

“Should I taste spiritual food instead?”

Consider:

On the one hand – one more satisfaction of your need for taste, soon forgotten.

On the other hand — a surprise gift for a rural school, lots of positive emotions and a joyous mood. The trail of good is to the taste of everyone who cooked according to our happiness recipe.

Doing good is very simple!

You can afford yourself the luxury of goodness!

Doing good is very simple!

Do you know a school that needs help?
Do you want to take part in our next charity event?
Do you want to know how you can help?