ABOUT EVERYDAY KINDNESS
Everyday Responsibility. Practiced Locally.
Compassion becomes meaningful when people take responsibility for the needs around them.
Everyday Kindness is built on a simple idea.
When service is clear and accessible, people step forward.
In every community, there are individuals and families experiencing hardship. Many people want to help, but hesitate because they are unsure where to start or worry that what they can offer is not enough.
Everyday Kindness exists to remove that uncertainty by creating clear, practical ways to respond.
We focus on practical acts of care that families, youth, and local groups can participate in without needing permission, expertise, or large-scale resources. The goal is not perfection. The goal is participation.
When people step forward consistently, communities change.
Our Story
How Everyday Kindness Took Shape
In every community, people experience hardship. At the same time, there are families, youth, and individuals who want to help but feel uncertain about how to begin or whether their efforts will truly matter.
Too often, service feels complicated, performative, or out of reach.
Rather than building a system that required specialized knowledge or large commitments, we chose a different approach. We focused on creating clear, practical ways for people to take responsibility for the needs around them — in ways that honor dignity and fit into real life.
That approach became Compassion Kits.
By assembling and distributing essential items with care and intention, families and youth meet immediate needs while participating directly in their communities. The work is tangible. The impact is visible. The barrier to entry is low.
Based in North Carolina, Everyday Kindness grew through participation, not promotion. Families built kits together. Youth stepped into leadership roles. Local groups adapted the model to reflect the needs they saw in their own neighborhoods.
What emerged was not a one-time project, but a consistent way of practicing compassion.
Our Mission in Practice
Everyday Kindness exists to make compassion a daily practice, not a one-time response.
In practice, this means we design programs that:
Are accessible to families and youth with real-world constraints
Center dignity and respect in every interaction
Encourage community ownership rather than dependence
Prioritize consistency over scale
Our current focus is Compassion Kits because they meet immediate needs while inviting people into direct, meaningful service. Each kit represents a choice to notice, to care, and to take responsibility for one another.
How We Work
Everyday Kindness is designed to be practical, consistent, and grounded in real life.
We believe service should be accessible to families and youth without requiring specialized knowledge, or large commitments. Our role is to remove barriers, provide clear guidance, and create opportunities for people to take responsibility for the needs around them.
In practice, this means we:
Design simple, repeatable programs that can be used by individuals, families, schools, and community groups
Provide clear tools and expectations so people know how to participate with confidence
Emphasize consistency over scale, valuing regular acts of care more than one-time efforts
Center dignity in every interaction, from how kits are assembled to how they are distributed
We focus on doing a few things well, rather than many things at once. This allows communities to engage meaningfully and sustain their involvement over time.
Service here focuses on showing up consistently, not seeking recognition.
It is practical, relational, and ongoing.
Our Values in Practice
Our values guide how decisions are made, how programs are designed, and how we show up in community spaces. They are not aspirational statements. They are standards we work to uphold every day.
Responsibility
We believe individuals and communities share responsibility for responding to local needs. Everyday Kindness exists to make that responsibility visible and actionable.
Dignity
Every person deserves to be seen, respected, and treated with care. We design our programs to preserve dignity for individuals receiving support and for those participating in service.
Accessibility
Service should be possible for families, youth, and individuals with real-world constraints. We remove unnecessary barriers and keep our programs simple so more people can participate.
Community
Lasting impact grows through participation. We prioritize community ownership, collaboration, and local leadership over centralized solutions.
These values shape how we operate, what we prioritize, and how we measure success.
Our Team
Board of Directors
Denise Freeman DeCandia
President
Cari DeCandia, EdD
Vice-President
Megan Kimsey
Secretary
Amanda Fish
Board Member
Ready to Make a Difference?
Join families and youth across North Carolina making compassion a daily responsibility, not a one-time gesture.
Volunteer
Choose how you want to show up, and step into everyday actions that supports the community.
Donate
Support the supplies that make Compassion Kits possible.
Become an Youth Ambassador
Lead kindness initiatives in your community.
Company
Contact Us
© Copyright 2026. Everyday Kindness Inc. All Rights Reserved.
501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization 41-2690196
Everyday Kindness serves communities across North Carolina, partnering with families, youth leaders, schools, and local organizations to respond to unmet needs.