Tallahassee author surprises disabled veteran with $1,000

Good News Notes: “An act of kindness was handed over on Wednesday afternoon when a local author, J. Andy, invoked the spirit of a character from his latest book and gave a disabled veteran the surprise of his life during a visit to Waffle House. A waitress at the shop handed John Pickett an envelope….

Kentucky nonprofit delivering groceries, essential items to people in need during pandemic

Good News Notes: “A Kentucky-based nonprofit born as a result of the coronavirus pandemicis hand-delivering groceries and other essential items to community members who otherwise can’t get to a food pantry.  Maria Accardi and Constance Merritt created Bringing Justice Home last year after recognizing that food pantries were hit hard by the pandemic, losing both supplies and needed volunteers.   They…

Bees in the Netherlands trained to detect COVID-19 infections

Good News Notes: “Dutch researchers have trained bees, which have an unusually keen sense of smell, to identify samples infected with COVID-19, a finding they said could cut waiting times for test results to just seconds. To train the bees, scientists in the bio-veterinary research laboratory at Wageningen University gave them sugary water as a…

NY nonprofit combats food insecurity, focuses on families ineligible for unemployment

Good News Notes: “A nonprofit located in Queens, New York, is tackling the issue of food insecurity in the United States head-on.  Before the coronavirus pandemic hit, The Connected Chef focused on education, cooking and gardening classes. The organization’s priorities changed to combating food insecurity when COVID-19 began to spread across New York City, director and co-founder Kim Calichio explained. Calichio and her husband are both restaurant…

Tesla founder Elon Musk has spent $150 million on charity in 2021

Good News Notes: “Elon Musk is on a philanthropy spending spree. In the months immediately after briefly becoming the world’s richest person, Musk has been transforming his profile as a philanthropist, appearing seemingly every few weeks bearing gifts — in public. That represents a departure from Musk’s penchant for privacy and his relatively thin history as a…

How one nonprofit helps at-risk teenage girls in DC and Montgomery Co.

Good News Notes: “Crittenton Services of Greater Washington aims to help hundreds of at-risk teenage girls across D.C. and Montgomery County, Maryland, every year — even during the pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic has been challenging for people from all walks of life and at-risk youth are no exception. “The pandemic has certainly impacted the young…

These biodegradable facemasks bloom into flowers when planted after use

Good News Notes: “A Dutch designer has created biodegradable facemasks made from rice paper that will transform into flowers when planted. Face masks are now part of our daily lives and are likely to remain so for months, if not years. But while they may be essential in stopping the spread of coronavirus pandemic, they…

Going for Green—Sellers Can See Upside in Sustainable Home Features

Good News Notes: “For many luxury buyers, having a home that’s designed for sustainability has long seemed nice in theory, but also connoted austere, crunchy aesthetics, plus the added expense of installing green technology. Between the rapid rise of electric cars as a status symbol; a growing number of developers turning out high-design green buildings;…