It’s not every day that one 6-year-old child holds the power to bring joy and happiness into the lives of strangers. But Daphne Kalso is no ordinary 6-year-old; and her small acts of kindness are definitely showing everyone she meets that one person (with a huge heart) can make a difference.
It all started a year ago, when Daphne, then 5, became aware of the homeless who lived outside in the wet and cold conditions near her North Seattle home.
“Daphne wanted to know how we could help them,” Daphne’s mom, Sheena Kalso, tells Babble. “So, inspired by a similar project our church did, we created bags and kept them in the car so we had a tangible way to connect and love on people.”
One afternoon, her family went to the Dollar Tree, purchased some supplies, and then assembled and passed out cold and wet weather bags that included ponchos, gloves, snacks, socks, and hand warmers to anyone needing help.
Fast forward one year, and now at age 6, Daphne had an even bigger goal for her “blessing bags,” as she likes to call them: She wanted to go to the store to buy even more supplies, so she could put together 20 bags for 20 people in need.
So along with her parents, and now several others who have been inspired by her generosity, this Seattle girl is gathering items once again for her “blessing bags” in hopes of making a difference in the lives of those who are in need of some help this winter.
Each bag costs about $4.55 to make, and this year the family decided to think beyond the items they used last time. Instead, they tried to imagine what someone living out in the cold all day and all night might wish they had.
Cough drops, Vaseline for chapped skin, and weather-proof items topped the list. Also included in the bags this year are hiking socks, LED flashlight, soft snacks (to be considerate of dental issues), and a poncho or umbrella.
“Seeing 20 of everything in a cart and having her count out items — as well as discussing what one would need if they had to sleep outside — is a sobering conversation,” Sheena says.
And of course, there’s the hand-written, decorated notes Daphne places inside. One for each bag. (“Merry Christmas. I hope this stuff is usable,” reads one of the special notes.)
Taking the time to hand-write and decorate a note for each bag seems like a lot, but to Daphne that small gesture is what this project is all about.
“I like drawing the hearts with the wings because what we’re doing is from the heart,” Daphne tells Babble.
With Daphne’s kid-style leadership and enthusiasm, the family assembles the bags and hits the streets. But they don’t just drop off the bags and move on with their day — one thing Sheena has made a priority this year is to ask the people who receive the bags their names and maybe even a little about themselves.
“It just shows that people care and are looking out for us,” said Zulu Robinson who received a blessing bag recently.
“We want it to be a human connection and as a parent, I want these names and faces to stick with us when we get home. When we ask for a name, and give ours, everyone is smiling. People just want to be known,” Sheena explains.
After distributing those first 20 bags that day, Sheena immediately suggested they make more — and that’s when Daphne wasted no time in asking if they could make 200.
Her daughter’s goal may have sounded ambitious, but Sheena wanted to make sure it was reached. So she turned to the book Doing Good is Simple, by Chris Marlow, and decided that online fundraising could be the way to go to raise the funds needed to keep the “blessing bags” going.
“As adults, we become blind to the problems around us because it’s all too much or feels too big to deal with,” says Sheena. “But for children Daphne’s age, it’s as simple as recognizing that a person has a need, so let’s meet it.”
Sheena recently set up a page on Generosity.com to help fund the blessing bags, and whenever she shares about a donation amount, she says Daphne immediately begins counting how many bags that donation will create. And when their initial donation goal was quickly met, she says Daphne turned to her and said, “Let’s make more!”
“As a parent, the experience has been humbling, inspiring, and heart softening,” Sheena explained. “There’s something about a child’s no-strings-attached sense of generosity that inspires adults to do more. Love is so uncomplicated and that’s contagious.”
For more information on starting your own blessing bags, the Kalso family’s Generosity.com page gives all of the details on how to start the project and what goes in each bag.