An Ontario insurer has been revealed as the mystery benefactor behind a province-wide ‘Common Kindness day’.
The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group was unveiled as the company which sponsored 10 cafes across Ontario to give away free coffees to the first 100 patrons through the door – with just one catch: every person that received a freebie was asked to pay the kindness forward to another local.
Learn more about hospitality insurance here.
‘Common Kindness Day’ took place on Tuesday last week, and left many Ontarians wondering who was responsible for their hits of caffeinated kindness.
The Commonwell, which offers home and auto insurance, founded the new, ‘unofficial holiday’ as a way to bolster community spirit, the company said in a release.
The event, which encouraged locals to “dig deep and pay it forward… because the world could use a little extra kindness (and caffeine),” gained the attention of local media and the public, with #CommonKindnessDay trending at #1 on Twitter in Toronto for most of the day.
Tim Shauf, president and CEO of The Commonwell, described the response as “overwhelming,” adding that it “far exceeded our wildest expectations.”
“The ‘pay it forward’ donations from generous locals kept the free coffee pouring for several days, so much so that Common Kindness Day became a week-long celebration,” he said.
“We created Common Kindness Day because we believe in the importance of strong community bonds, and those bonds are achieved through face-to-face interaction and doing things for others in a selfless way.”
Julia Graham, owner of one of the cafes that took part, The Quirky Carrot in Alexandria, said it was a pleasure “to see the sheer delight on customers’ faces when we told them their daily cuppa had been paid for.”
She added: “The wonderful momentum of generosity that continued long past Common Kindness Day was inspiring and just plain fun!”
Shauf added that as the insurer prepares for next year’s event, it is issuing a challenge to other local businesses across Ontario to find a way to “pay it forward in the great communities that they serve.”
Related stories:
Aviva announces major shake-up – businesses to merge, CEO to leave
Manulife ups employee mental health benefit tenfold
