The Melrose Messenger

Melrose Kind Carries On Its Mission After Founder Steps Down

In June, Melrose Kind founder Maribeth Darwin announced that she was stepping down from her role in the organization after nine years at the helm. This leadership change will not alter the organization’s mission, which is to spread kindness throughout Melrose and make a difference in the lives of neighbors who are in need.

Darwin formed Melrose Kind out of her vision for a citywide day of kindness. In 2015, a group of Melrose middle school students said that November 20th was “kick a ginger day,” emulating characters on the television show South Park. Some classmates were harmed. The following year, concerned that the incident might be repeated, Darwin decided to encourage Melrose residents to recognize November 20th as Kindness Day instead.

From a simple Facebook post, the movement grew into a day that city residents look forward to each year, when Melrosians share coffee, flowers, thank you notes, and more.

In the years that followed, Melrose Kind became a nonprofit and Darwin and her co-founder, Stephanie Nelson, found new avenues for channeling kindness. When needs arose in the community, Melrose Kind started collecting donations, and eventually monthly Kindness Porch collections began.

Each month, Melrose Kind organizes donations of a specific item - July’s item is diapers - and collects them on Kindness Porches. Nelson described how during last year’s diaper collection, Melrose Kind collected over 10,000 diapers. When they were brought to the WIC office in Malden, the staff shared that, instead of having to divide boxes' contents among multiple clients, they could give each client an entire box of diapers.

Melrose Kind, because of its flexibility and prominence in the community, can serve as a way to meet very specific local needs, collecting anything from peanut butter when food pantries are running low to can openers for people staying in shelters who otherwise would have no way to open donated canned goods. Melrose Kind has often partnered with other local organizations, such as the Food Drive, to identify areas of need and then get donated goods to the people who need them the most.

Nelson, who, along with Kelly Hourigan, will be taking over leadership of Melrose Kind following Darwin’s departure, said that “nine years is a long time to invest in something,” and Darwin “should be very proud that we’ve established something that’s really made a difference.”

Following the leadership change, Melrose Kind intends to continue the work it has been doing. Monthly Kindness Porch collections will continue, as will the celebration of Kindness Day on November 20th. The Community Conversations that began this spring are also expected to continue, although they won’t be under the auspices of Melrose Kind.

Especially at a time when divisiveness and unkindness are prominent on the national level, Melrose Kind and Kindness Day are a way to, as Nelson said, “quiet the noise of negativity and celebrate the good.” The organization Darwin founded will continue to spread kindness in Melrose and beyond, on November 20th and all year.

Posted July 18th, 2024