True Stories of Good People

The Ruby LA is an intersectional feminist comedy theater & school in Los Angeles, California, whose purpose is to lift up marginalized voices. They work to provide a space not only where diverse voices can shine, but where community can grow and thrive. Last summer, founder Lindsey Barrow got word that their beloved theater was going to be demolished to make room for condos -- in 3 months! They wo...

Jeff Lew is just a regular dad from Seattle -- except he's not. After discovering a widespread crisis called "lunch debt" in 2017, Jeff jumped into action and not only helped thousands of struggling families in his home state of Washington, but also sparked a nationwide trend of more people getting involved. Now, Jeff is at it again. As he watched the cases of coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, ris...

A few years ago, Mary Davis and her husband Ari suffered the loss of their first baby to a miscarriage. To help them both process, Mary and Ari decided to give back to people in need by volunteering on Skid Row. They were surprised to see so many children living in homelessness there and it broke their hearts. Mary had an idea -- since they weren't able to give their own child a birthday party, ma...

In 2015, Chelsea VonChaz was out in town with her mother when the two witnessed something that broke their hearts -- they saw a homeless woman crossing the street while wearing blood stained undergarments. After some research, Chelsea learned that pads and tampons are rarely donated items and are not even required to be included in any shelter's operations budget. Chelsea and her mom knew they wan...

You may have seen a viral video going around recently filmed from inside a New York deli & grocery store, also known as a bodega. The person behind the camera asks an unsuspecting customer a simple math question, and if they get it right, they have 5 seconds to pick up whatever they want from the store for free. What started out as a series of fun social media videos has turned into a national sto...

Dr. Kwane Stewart has been a veterinarian for over 20 years. After spending an afternoon offering medical care to the pets of people experiencing homelessness in his area, he learned an important lesson: these animals provide more than companionship to their owners — they also offer love, hope, and security. What Dr. Kwane initially thought would be a one-off experience, has turned into a nine-yea...

22 years ago, Rachel Raimist was a film student at UCLA, following her dreams of being a film director. Then, in one fell swoop, her life was turned upside down. In a very short period of time, Rachel not only found out that she was pregnant with her first child, but that both of her parents had been diagnosed with cancer. Her life changed course at that point and her Hollywood dreams were put to...

What do you get when you introduce an Instagram legend from Sweden, an LA basketball league founder from France, and a former college basketball star with a commercial driver's license? Answer: The Hoop Bus. Stick around for today's episode to find out exactly what a Hoop Bus is, and how these 3 talented individuals plus their dedicated team are using it to inspire people around the country.

When four-year-old Tyler Stallings watched a video about veterans living on the streets, he knew that he had to do something to help. At first, he asked his mom if they could build them homes. She told him that unfortunately that wasn't possible, but that they would find another way to help. So they went to the store, loaded up on clothes and toiletries, and headed to local shelters. Four years la...

One Tuesday afternoon in St. Louis, Missouri, tornado sirens started going off. Amber Gilleylen and her teenage son Seth were driving by a gas station and saw a man in a wheelchair struggling to get across the street and away from the storm. Without even thinking twice, Seth jumped into action — and the resulting story is absolutely amazing.

Champale Anderson of St. Louis, Missouri noticed that her kids' friends were always hungry when they came over to her house after school. After learning that many of their families didn't have the means to provide them with more than one meal per day, Champale, a mother of six, was heartbroken. It got her thinking: were there other children in her neighborhood who were going hungry, too? That's wh...

Kevin Upshur has called the Philadelphia neighborhood of Strawberry Mansion home for his entire life, so it was painful for him to watch as the area became consumed by drugs and violence over the years. When his family decided to close their neighborhood bar amid the turmoil, Kevin was determined to use the space for good. 

When 5-year-old Jahkil Jackson first handed out food to folks living on the streets with his aunt, he was saddened to learn that not everyone had homes to sleep in. He wanted people experiencing homelessness in Chicago to know that their community cares about them, so he thought of a small solution that's had a big impact. Seven years later, Jahkil has helped over 30,000 people in his community an...

When Daniel was 6 years old, his brother, Diego, was diagnosed with Leukemia. When he would go to the hospital to visit his brother, Daniel remembers feeling very sad for all of the other kids suffering in the hospital, especially when they had to stay for so long and couldn't go home. 6-year-old Daniel decided to organize a toy drive to bring cheer to the other kids and the results were more amaz...

Lance Cooper is the creator of the Save Flint Challenge which works to provide clean water and support to residents of Flint, Michigan, as they navigate the awful water crisis that is still affecting their town. He's been able to provide thousands and thousands of bottles to the community, and has raised incredible amounts of awareness long after the media stopped paying attention. He continues to...

Sergio lives in Brownsville, Texas, which is right on the Mexico border. Asylum seekers arrive daily but are simply dropped off at a bus station with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Many of them also need critical services, such as legal support, help finding family members, etc. The amount of need weighed heavy on Sergio and his friends' hearts, and so they decided to help.

In 2017, Kofi Thomas came across a long-forgotten garden in Bushwick, Brooklyn that had fallen into serious disrepair. Where most people would have seen nothing but an eyesore, Kofi saw the possibility of something amazing: a beautiful public garden that could nourish communities in need while also bringing them together. Since opening to the public, the Good Life Garden has produced more than jus...

Thirteen years ago, Lisa's mother died at the age of 64 from congestive heart failure in a tiny hospital room in Richmond, Virginia. Her mother's death reflected a disturbing and persistent trend in communities across the United States – that black women die every day at alarming and disproportionate rate, and at far younger ages than their peers from largely preventable illnesses. This tragic and...

A few years ago, Charlie Hyatt went to her local VFW to volunteer and spend time with some of the veterans there and she learned of a heartbreaking issue: even after homeless veterans transitioned to permanent housing, they often didn't have a single thing to their names, not even a pillow to lay their head on. This broke Charlie's heart and she felt called to help -- and Help for Heroes was born.

On November 14th, the first annual GoFundMe Heroes Celebration took place in San Francisco, California, where we honored 5 community-nominated change-makers in front of a live audience. On today's episode, you'll meet each Hero briefly and hear a bit about their stories and their excitement about the event -- hours before it happened!

Asha Curran is the CEO of Giving Tuesday. TSGP host Kelsea Little sits down with her to talk about the power of giving and kindness, Asha's inspiring career, and some of the ways everyone can get involved in Giving Tuesday this year.

November is National Family Caregivers Month - caregivers are some of the hardest working people on the planet and they rarely get the credit they deserve. They not only care for their loved ones during incredibly difficult times, but they also carry the responsibility of keeping family & friends informed of any new updates or important information throughout their loved one's medical journey. On...

In 2017,10-year-old Sir Darius Brown was following the news of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, and was especially heartbroken to see all of the displaced animals. This led him to do a little bit of research, and when he learned that not all animals get adopted from shelters, he knew he wanted to do something to help. With the guidance of his artistically talented sister, Sir Darius came up with an ide...

When Obocho's mom told him they couldn't afford to buy new toys, he decided to find a solution—not only for himself but for other kids in his community whose families were struggling to make ends meet. Over the course of a year, 10-year-old Obocho Peters started selling his gently used toys and clothing as a way to help families in his Brooklyn community. Now, he has big plans to take his online s...

Ever since Tommy Maher was a first responder during 9/11, he was deeply affected not only by the extreme tragedy of that day, but also by the incredible kindness and community that was formed in the days after as everyone came together to rebuild. Years later, after the Route 91 shooting, Tommy found himself feeling called to honor the victims in some way - he came up with an idea that would end u...