The whole thing started with a chair. A run-of-the-mill lazy-boy style lounge chair that my mother-in-law purchased for my father-in-law after he broke his hip. He needed help standing up and the chair had a lift in it. She was barely over 5' tall and he was 6'4," so she was not even going there with him.

Before he fell and broke his hip, he would go splat now & again. She would calmly pick up the phone and call one of us kids to come over and pick him up. Meanwhile, she would hand him a pillow while he waited on the floor. She never tried to pick him up herself and he never asked her. When grandfather died, the chair went in to the garage and sat for almost a year.

One day, while scrolling through my facebook page, I saw a posting by a local group called "The Geekettes Club." This group of mostly younger, energetic & talented women, was looking for a chair on behalf of a local program that provided shelter for women & children. I quickly called my mother-in-law to ask if she was interested in donating the chair. She said she was. So I posted a reply and waited. A few days later, a man called from the program to ask about the chair.

Next thing I know, my husband & I were squat-thrusting the chair into the back of a truck to go to its new owner, a woman who was getting dialysis and needed to be comfortable. The story could end right there with the biggest, fuzziest hug-fest you ever saw. But it actually gets even better.

As part of the "Peru Backpack Project," I was collecting gently-used backpacks from everyone within earshot (or email shot) to take to the children in Peru. A group of high school students & I plan to travel with Adios Adventure Travel staff with the backpacks to a mountain village, where they will be distributed to the children. I had done this before for children in the Andes mountains who walk long distances over rough terrain to get to and from school. Children come from subsistence farmer families with little material wealth. The backpacks were useful and greatly appreciated.

I asked the Geekettes if they would post a message on FB asking for gently-used backpack donations. The Geekettes not only posted the message, but have arranged for members to bring backpacks to the monthly meeting. The meeting is coming up soon & I plan to attend and thank each and every person who shows up. One good deed leads to another. And another.

Want to do something like this on your next trip to Peru?  Contact Adios Adventure Travel.