A landlord gives free rent to all tenants, a family receives a month of groceries and other acts of kindness

Throughout the month of December, CBC stations across the country invite you to help Make the Season Kind as we celebrate the kindness of others with special programming and a coming together in support of local charities. 

In Calgary, for 35 years, residents have been donating to the Calgary Food Bank through CBC/Radio-Canada's annual Food Bank Drive, raising more than $20 million. This year, from Dec. 4 to 24, join us virtually for special broadcasts, events, auctions and online sales while helping us reach our goal of $1 million to the Calgary Food Bank.

• Join us on Thursday, Dec. 17, for a full day of special holiday programming as we raise donations for the Calgary Food Bank. You can find out more here. Want to get a shoutout from our hosts or columnists? Share your acts of kindness by using the hashtag #CBCFeedsYYC on Twitter and Instagram between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and you may just hear from one of them!

Share your story with us of how you showed or received an act of kindness this year and — as part of our Food Bank Drive — be entered to win a local prize pack. We'll share more of these heart-warming acts that have been shared with us in the days ahead, on CBC Calgary radio programs Calgary Eyeopener and The Homestretch, CBC Calgary's website and social media. Here are some of the wonderful stories we've received so far.

From Travis McNeil:

"I was a recipient of a food hamper (a month's worth of groceries) from Harvest Hills Cares Calgary. They also helped me and my family get laptops for all the kids because everything had to move online and being low income, it was not something we could afford. [Jennifer Rapuano-Kremenik, founder and director of Harvest Hills Cares Calgary] and her team also offered help when I was petitioning to be the guardian of my godson. They offered to be our community supports! Jen and the team are selfless heroes and will help anyone and everyone in need. She may not like the recognition but she and her team certainly deserve it! She even drove the hamper to our house personally on her day off!!"

From Tracy Noga:

"Hello, CBC, I received a tremendous act of kindness this month that left me speechless. I live in a three-story walkup in the Marda Loop area, there are six units in our building and it's owned/managed by an elderly Romanian couple along with their son [John and Lily Matican and their son Mike]. Dec 1 when the owner came by to hand out rent receipts, he knocked on my door and handed me a Christmas card with my December rent cheque. 'Everybody in the building gets free rent for December!' he exclaimed. I wanted to cry, I'm lucky enough to be working from home at the moment but was unemployed this year until the end of summer. Incredible gesture by already wonderful landlords who've always taken great care of our building anyway. P.S., love your radio, I tune in every morning and throughout the day. Cheers!"

From Lindsay Connick:

"This Christmas season while shopping for our godson in Regina, I began looking for a specific cookbook that I wanted to mail to him. My godson is a big fan of eating well, and I wanted to bring that gift into his home by giving him the cookbook Starting Out by Julie Van Rosendaal. I have purchased this book in the past for a niece, but since then, I had a hard time procuring a local copy of the book. I contacted Pages Bookstore here in Calgary to try and find a local vendor. Unfortunately, Pages did not have a copy of the book and said that it was out of print. They suggested to me that I try contacting Julie herself to see if she had any more copies of it herself. I knew that Julie was on social media (Instagram, Twitter, etc.), but as I am not a social media user, I turned to my next hope of contacting her directly: the CBC Eyeopener. I do have email of course, so I sent my request via email to the Eyeopener and asked if they would please forward my message to Julie herself. Low and behold, a few days after I sent my original email, Julie sent me an email. I was so moved and completely blown away by the gesture of both the Eyeopener team and Julie herself for both taking the time to correspond in such an incredibly busy time of year. Julie told me she would go investigate to look for another copy of her cookbook. The next day, Julie replied to me and said she indeed had found a copy of her cookbook in her garage, and she offered to leave it in my mailbox. When I asked how she would like to be paid for the book (e-transfer, cheque or other), her reply was that no funds were necessary. Not only was shipping going to be included, but Julie also gifted my godson an amazing, signed copy of the cookbook. I continue to be completely awed and inspired by the energy and love that Julie has and continues to give to her community. Thank you to the Eyeopener and Julie for bringing joy and love to your community across the radio waves each and every day. We look forward to waking up to you Monday to Friday. Merry Christmas! Lindsay, John, Douglas and Elliott"

From Pat Hampson:

"Our next door neighbour shovels our front sidewalk and the driveway —quietly, especially near the front door so we don't know he is out there. He keeps telling my husband, "Mr. Don, (who is 80), this is MY job, not yours." Last winter, he did it almost daily. This winter, so far he has a bit of a reprieve. In the summer the lawn at the front gets done as he does his."

From Allison Sides:

"I am a small business owner in Calgary. This year has been tough for so many. The act of kindness that I would like to share is how my staff have been absolutely amazing through a difficult time. They have been steadfast in following all measures from AHS all while managing to provide excellent customer service and still find time to laugh. They were flexible with taking on additional responsibilities, cross-training and helping cover shifts when needed. When some were faced with isolation and testing, they handled communication with such maturity and clarity. They all stepped up to support my business and I cannot express how humbled and proud I am to employ all of them."

From Eva Foessel:

"In the spring and summer when we were allowed to have cohort families, my neighbour and I would give each other breaks by taking turns looking after all of the kids for the day. Between the two families we have five children: one five-year-old, three seven-year-olds and one 10-year-old. Having all of the kids in one place was loud and messy and a bit wild but when it was your turn to have a quiet day it was absolute bliss. It gave the kids the connection they craved since our cohort family was the only people we had contact with, and it gave us parents a much needed break. This year has had many challenges but having this family to share them with has brought us all closer and made it much easier to get through."

From Jennifer Elder:

"I love this time of year knitting hats to donate to local agencies…. Knitting is a great anxiety reducer, and also keeps other Calgarians' warm."

From Dorothy Mahoney:

"I have this friend Kris Misurko and a friend of his, they started a while ago going downtown to help homeless with sandwiches, smokes, socks. It was something they decided to do and how it has become much more. People make hats, sandwiches, gift cards that Kris goes out and buys socks with. These men talk to them as well as reassuring them someone cares. They do this every Sunday. I'm very grateful that l was able to help by making a big bag of sandwiches. Calgary cares."

From Janice Quade:

"Two of my closest friends live in Lac des Arcs and are very high risk COVID-wise and have been staying under very strict isolation. I live alone and have been keeping to myself mostly, aside from work. I have travelled with this couple and last year they took an absolutely beautiful art photo of me during our travels. One day about a week ago, when I was feeling down and missing them and just being with family and friends, a delivery arrived by UPS at my door. My friends had ordered and sent me a huge canvas with the photo printed on it to hang as a piece of art. My heart overflowed with love and the tears flowed freely. What an act of love and kindness. I am so grateful."

From Melissa Teeuwsen:

"A restaurant in our neighbourhood is giving away free Christmas meals to seniors, since a lot of them can't be with family this year, which is pretty cool on its own. My neighbour decided to order one and picked hers up but then took it straight to a young family that's had a hard time making ends meet this year. She wouldn't want the credit, she just wanted to help them out, but that story is too heart-warming not to share."

From Connie Strock:

"I decided last year that every Christmas I'm going to send my kids, grandkids and some friends $25 gift cards to help someone in need. Also on Mothers' Day, I give roses to homeless moms and on Fathers' Day, take a single dad out to lunch or dinner. On Veterans' Day, I take thank you cards to the veterans hospital to hand out to the veterans, I keep thank you cards in my purse to give to police, military, nurses, doctors, or anyone who does a service."

From Francine Payant:

"I receive an act of kindness everyday from my high-school students. The last few weeks have not been easy for them and since we've gone online, all of them are present on Google Meet every day and at the end of each class, they all say "Merci, madame! À demain." That warms my heart and puts a big smile on my face!"

From Jess:

"Our family donates presents to the Spirit of Christmas campaign for seniors. This year, we also heard of a young family struggling so we made a package of a few gifts and a grocery card, dropped it at their door and ran away! It was so fun, we struggled for quite a few years, so we give back as much as possible now."

To read more heart-warming stories like these, see: 

Again — you can share your story with us of how you showed or received an act of kindness this year with an online form here or by using the hashtag #CBCFeedsYYC on Instagram or Twitter. You can also share your act of kindness by calling and leaving a message for the Calgary Eyeopener at 403-521-6209 or the Homestretch 403-521-6244.

Whichever way you choose, you'll be entered to win a local prize pack, which include: 

• A limited-edition CBC Calgary x Local Laundry holiday crewneck.
• A 36-piece box of salted caramel chocolates from Master Chocolate.
• Julie Van Rosendaal's Dirty Food cookbook.
• An Inspirati tea towel.
• A Milk Jar diffuser.
• A $50 gift card to Bowtie Pizza.
• A 12 oz. bag of One Gray Knight coffee beans from Fratello Coffee Roasters.
• A limited-edition One Gray Knight coffee mug.
• CBC Calgary winter swag (blanket, toque, scarf, mittens, retro socks).

Click here to donate to the Calgary Food Bank.

See the full schedule of events, contests, auction items, partners and more for the CBC/Radio-Canada's annual Calgary Food Bank Drive here.