Alabama woman sets aside part of every paycheck to fund random acts of kindness

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Whether it's paying for groceries or picking up the lunch tab, Lyn Thomas is all about surprising people with generosity.

Thomas lives in Birmingham, Alabama, and is the assistant manager at a convenience store. She puts aside money from every paycheck to do something nice for people, through a project she calls Sowing On Purpose. "There is so much going on, and this is just showing love and blessing somebody just because," Thomas told USA Today.

She turns it into a game, asking followers on Facebook to pick a color or number, and the person who responds with the correct answer gets a nice surprise, like a tank of gas, a meal, or flowers. "I played and won and it was really cool," participant Krystal Bell said. "Random acts of kindness make the world go around." Thomas believes in unconditional love, kindness, and compassion, she said, and by giving to others, "I feel freedom."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.