Lindsay: The kindest town around

Lindsay’s Boiling Over at Kent and Cambridge Streets was just one of 10 coffee shops in nine communities in Ontario taking part in Common Kindness Day earlier this month – and it turns out Lindsay was the kindest of all.

The results showed Lindsay patrons paid forward $337.72 in free coffees, or about 140 of them when Common Kindness Day kicked off Jan. 10.

“We are thrilled to have won kindest city this year,” says Laura LeMiere, manager of Boiling Over’s Coffee Vault.

“It’s such a great campaign and we had an incredibly positive response — people were coming in just to pay it forward,” she says.

LeMiere says people were also really passionate about “all the amazing organizations in the city that could benefit from the remaining tab.”

That’s when the coffee shop owners, James Myette and Jamie Bergin, decided to double the donation which was received by A Place Called Home. About $180 went to the homeless shelter from the event, along with another $200 donation from the owners.

“Being able to continue to pay it forward within the city during this cold weather is truly the best part,” says LeMiere.

The other communities involved in Common Kindness Day were: Peterborough, Perth, Ottawa, Barrie, Belleville, Alexandria, Midland, Whitby, and Stittsville.

Common Kindness Day was first launched by the insurance company in 2016 as a way to spark more community spirit.