Artist Turns Old Vending Machine Into Kindness Challenge

Michigan artist Andrea Zelenak saw an old bait and tackle vending machine and imagined something better. In 2022, she turned it into The Kindness Challenge, a bright machine that gives people ways to spread good in our communities.

The machine sits on Monroe Avenue in Grand Rapids and works just like any other vending machine. For $3, people get color-coded envelopes with kindness challenges inside. Green envelopes have easy tasks. Yellow ones are medium difficulty. Pink ones take more effort to complete.

Each envelope contains everything someone needs to do an act of kindness. Challenges might include giving a warm hat to someone who needs it, sharing gum, writing thank you notes, or posting encouraging words in public places. Zelenak believes one small act of kindness creates waves of good that spread through communities.

Since 2022, over 3,000 kindness challenges have been completed. The machine travels to art festivals and different neighborhoods across Michigan. Right now, it sits outside Zelenak's encouragement shop in Detroit, open 24 hours a day. All money from the machine goes back into creating more kindness challenges.

Zelenak compares her project to the butterfly effect - small actions can lead to big changes we never expected. Our communities can join this movement by creating our own ways to spread kindness and build connections with neighbors.