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Ministry helps others through Acts of Kindness

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Shelly Danks

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Photo by Bill Olmsted

Currently, the space occupied by the Act of Kindness charitable organization is jam packed with clothing and household goods. The organization distributes donated items to people at no charge from a donated building on the city's near south side.

JANESVILLE — It’s going to be A-OK!

Really.

People who have been helped by A-OK!, also known as Acts of Kindness, are thankful for the 1-year-old charity that founder Shelly Danks summed up as “definitely a ministry.’’

Among those who have benefited are a family of six adults who lost everything in a fire and several battered women who were staying at the YWCA shelter and had nothing for their own apartments.

“She helped me with a bunch of baby stuff I needed, clothes for me and my son,” said Jaime Bastian, a 25-year-old single Janesville mom of two.

“Shelly is really warm-hearted and does everything she can to help everybody,’’ Bastian said.

“Anybody who is truly in need, who can’t afford the items available, can use A-OK! The reasons don’t matter,’’ Danks said.

A-OK! operates out of a donated 1,225-square-foot building on the city’s south side. It accepts donations by appointment from the public, resale shops, churches, organizations and businesses. It has off-site storage for beds, furniture and appliances, but Danks would like to put a storage shed in the spacious lot next door.

A-OK! uses a donated bread truck to pick up and deliver large donations. The truck also is used to help move the GIFTS men’s homeless shelter/ministry from church to church, Danks said.

Danks started A-OK! in March of 2008. It provides free clothing, bedding, household items, furniture, appliances, toiletries, baby items and toys. Donations are clean, neatly arranged and labeled in both English and Spanish.

Items are received and distributed by appointment only.

“A-OK! isn’t a free store but a store with free items for people truly in need,’’ Danks said as the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee filtered through the air.

“It’s nice to share a cup one-on-one with people who want to share those personal things about their lives,’’ Danks said.

“We do pray with people if they want prayer, and men from GIFTS stop for a cup of coffee and just for the friendship,” she said.

Danks is a married 42-year-old parent of two teens. She’s a worship leader at her church and said she was meant to work with those less fortunate.

“I didn’t dream this up. I didn’t know what it would look like, where or how it would be, but this explains my overwhelming desire from years ago to do this. The Lord laid this on my heart. I’m just being obedient to the Lord. Through prayer, He was telling me what to do,” Danks said.

It’s important for A-OK! to connect people in need with agencies that can help, she said.

“I believe the community needs to have a relationship with people going through hard times. We are just one piece of the puzzle in seeing that people’s needs get met,” she said.

Danks has seen the need for A-OK! grow in the past year.

“I get 40 to 50 phone calls a day regarding need and donations. Some days it’s more. Some days it’s less, but is pretty consistent. It’s going to be necessary to be a five-day-a-week operation in the future because of the economy and tragedies,’’ she said.

Danks envisions a sewing room, a woodshop and a car bay where volunteers, including past A-OK! recipients, could make repairs to damaged clothing, furniture, appliance and vehicles.

“People like to help, and there’s always something to do here,” she said.

Helping or getting help from A-OK! seems to change people and restore their faith, Danks said.

“It says God cares about me, people care about me.”