The Kindness Family: Delivering packages to strangers across the country

BRADLEY, Ill. — Thousands of people from all over the country have logged onto their Amazon accounts, only to discover “saved cart items” had suddenly disappeared.

Rhonda Yates and her daughter are the masterminds behind a Facebook page called “The Kindness Family,” where strangers come together to secretly fulfill other’s Amazon wishlists.

“There’s so much joy to see people so happy, to see all these good things happening,” Yates said.

Allie Frost said she was really surprised at first to see a slew of boxes for her new baby boy.

“He spent six months in the hospital prior to being diagnosed with cerebral palsy,” Frost said. “They got us bouncers for him to stand up in and try to strengthen his legs. They actually ordered food and had it delivered to me. It’s like he has a bunch of grandmas.”

Yates said it became something people loved doing.

From her living room in the small village of Bradley, Illinois, Yates’ movement made its way down the road and across the country.

“There was a girl who had two teenage daughters that were sleeping on the floor,” she said. “Within two hours they had both these girls a bed, sheets pillows, asking what else they could do.”

There was a time when Yates said she felt she had nothing to give.

“I’ve been in and out of jail,” she said. “I’ve done things in my life I’m not proud of.”

But once she graduated from a court-ordered addiction program, she began to see her own worth.

“I know that I was lost and felt that I didn’t matter in the world,” Yates said. “And I don’t want anyone to feel that.”

Healing comes in many forms. On this street, it’s looking out the front door knowing somewhere, someone else opened theirs to find a package.