\n

\n
After arriving at Think Coffee in Manhattan's NoHo neighborhood, Claire Yale tried writing out a few different messages to ensure she had the right tone for her final sign.

This content is produced by GOOD, with support from Levi’s®

GOOD and Levi's are teaming up to bring you the "A Day in a Pair" contest, which will award one lucky reader with $100 to use towards doing good in one day. (And as an added bonus, Levi's will be giving the winner a $150 Levi's gift card, too.) Submissions are open now, so if you've got a great idea to make $100 count in your community, send it to us now for a chance to win.

And to help you get inspired with some cool ideas, check out the second installment of our three-part photo essay series. Each Wednesday for the last three weeks of September, we'll be featuring one inspiring person in the GOOD community and sharing their unique way of giving back.

Meet Claire Yale, an aspiring improv comedian trying to get her break in New York City. A recent transplant from the west coast, Yale is trying to get to know her neighbors and community while discovering the ins and outs of her new city.

Armed with the gift of good conversation, Yale decided to make somebody's day in her community. What better way to do good and get to know a new home than by spreading kindness? With a cup of coffee as her connector, Yale staked out Think Coffee in Manhattan and spent the day offering a free cup of fair trade, organic coffee to anyone who would sit with her and share a conversation. See how Yale used $100 to meet others in her community and share a moment of kindness in their day.

Make sure to check out last week's "A Day in a Pair" here and see how a Los Angeles community activist helped a local community garden.


\n

Yale shows off her finished message. Though the shop employees suggested it was too nice for New Yorkers, Yale stuck to her perfected message with the goal of sharing kindness for one full day.

\n

\n
As Yale waited for someone to take her up on her offer, this man worked to remove art off the walls around her. He eventually conceded, but remarked, "You're not from around here, are you?" \n

\n

Left: At one point, three strangers took Yale up on her offer at once, sitting and chatting while getting to know each other. The man in the center, Richard, is about to retire from the Port Authority and spent time contemplating what would happen next.

Right: Yale and William, a native of Cuba, bonded over Louis C.K. and being New York transplants. He said, "People in New York are all very nice. There is kindness all over the city. The [mean New Yorker] stereotype just isn't true." \n

Out of everyone who took Yale up on her offer, this lady took the most time to assess Yale before agreeing. She watched from afar with a friend being approaching. She paid the kindness back by watching Yale's belongings while she went to the restroom.

\n

The day Yale sat at the coffee shop, Derek was discharged from a nearby hospital after being diagnosed with liver cancer. "I think our good health is the one thing we take for granted the most. Every day that you're alive is a good day," he said to Yale.

\n

\n
Laura walked past Yale before returning to take her up on the offer, despite just having finished a cup of coffee. A visitor to New York City, and a frequent traveler, Laura admitted to Yale she loves meeting new people. \n

As Yale waited through a lull in the afternoon, people walking by would stop to take her photo or point her out to their friends. At one point a delivery man at a red light leaned out to say hello.

\n

\n
One of the last people to take Yale up on her offer was Jeremy, a nursing student whose shift had just ended. The New York native accepted the coffee and Yale's kindness as an early birthday present. \n

In between people taking her up on her free coffee, Yale created mini cards to hand out with the words,"Share Kindness. Pass It On." She handed them out in hopes they would be found days later, reminding the carrier to share in kindness. Yale left a card for the next person at the table to enjoy, and possibly start their own project.


Read more about the "A Day in a Pair" contest here. Then tell us how you'd spend your own day doing good by clicking here. Entries will be accepted through September 26 and winners will be announced on October 1. Only U.S.-based individuals are eligible to apply and applicants must be 18 years of age or older. Read all the rules here

\n