Instead of Black Friday, why not RAK Friday?

Today's crumb comes from a reader in Palm Beach, Florida, where some families are not crowding stores for good deals on Black Friday. Instead they're showering others with gifts, as part of RAK (Random Acts of Kindness) Friday, which began six years ago. This year, founder Travis Thomas again encouraged people to form RAK teams and share their good deeds on social media. He's seen responses from as far away as the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

This year Thomas' children baked cookies and delivered them to Palm Beach County firefighters. Another team borrowed a church van and performed more than 300 acts of kindness in four hours. They dropped off a gift card to a man who lives in his car, returned shopping carts, handed out lottery tickets at McDonalds and scattered pennies on the ground for people to find for good luck. They dropped off dog biscuits for the police K-9 unit, and, after purchasing carousel tickets at Downtown At The Gardens, they taped dollar bills to the horses, for children to find. Other RAK volunteers filled up machines at a coin laundry with quarters, and hid $1 bills around the local Dollar Store for shoppers to find. Thomas says it's a great way to start the holiday season.