'Random Acts of Kindness' a Rays kind of day

TAMPA, Fla. -- Around 10 a.m. on Thursday, shoppers at the Save A Lot grocery store on North Armenia Avenue met a couple unexpected visitors at the register.

First, they saw Jenn Tran, the Rays’ chief people and culture officer. She greeted each shopper by asking if the Rays could buy their groceries for them. Then, if they were up for it, they got a chance to greet Raymond, the Rays’ big blue mascot waiting outside the store. One woman in line at the time, a mother of four with a cart full of food, was moved to tears by the generous surprise.

That was just one part of the Rays’ and Tampa Bay Rowdies’ full day of giving back on National Random Acts of Kindness Day.

Rays and Rowdies staff were all over the Tampa Bay area all day Thursday. At 6:30 a.m., Raymond appeared in studio to invite Paul Lamison of WFLA-TV News Channel 8, live from the Eagle 8 HD helicopter, to throw out a first pitch this season. Then Raymond, the Rays’ street team and the Ray Team were off to Tampa International Airport to welcome travelers with signs, beads and rally towels.

The Rays and Rowdies -- a soccer team in the USL Championship -- spread out to perform more than 20 similar random acts of kindness during the day, not even including those undertaken by staff members on their own time. Every corner of the organization was involved, from principal owner Stu Sternberg, team president Matt Silverman and general manager Peter Bendix to Rays radio voices Andy Freed, Dave Wills and Neil Solondz to mascots Raymond, DJ Kitty and Pete the Pelican.

“Rays and Rowdies staff were all out and about today trying to really just spread kindness throughout the community,” said David Egles, executive director of the Rays Baseball Foundation, during one of two trips to provide Papa John’s pizza and Rays hats for 100 employees at the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay.

“We are going to coffee shops, gas stations, grocery stores, surprising people by paying for their bills, paying for their groceries, paying for their coffee. We're just trying to do our part to show this community how much they mean to us, and that we're all in this together. It's been a long couple years because of COVID and everything else that has been going on, so we really just want to take advantage of this day and do our part to spread kindness throughout the community. And, hopefully, that snowballs. Hopefully, people who receive something then pay it forward, and they do an act of kindness for someone else, and it goes on and on and on.”

Giving back is part of the job for Rays staff, who receive a paid day off every month to volunteer in the community. When they realized National Random Acts of Kindness Day was coming up on Feb. 17, Egles said, they thought they should do something to recognize it. A list of five ideas quickly turned into the dozens that about 40 employees scattered to perform on Thursday around Tampa Bay -- and Charlotte County, their Spring Training home.

“Everyone had all these great ideas, and they all wanted to do it. And we're like, 'Yes! That all sounds awesome. Let's do everything,’” Egles said, smiling. “That just speaks to the culture of our organization and just how much we want to be out in the community and just show our appreciation to everyone. … Every department has had a hand in today -- not just the idea process, but they're actually out and about today helping make these things come true.”

Around 8:30 a.m., Silverman paid for coffee for everyone at Kahwa Coffee’s 2nd Avenue location in St. Petersburg. The Rays also covered gas for customers at a 7-Eleven in Tampa, lunch for everyone at The Avenue DTSP and meals for everyone in the drive-thru line at a St. Petersburg Chick-fil-A.

Rays staffers dropped off breakfast, blankets and Rays hats for more than 40 temporary residents at Ronald McDonald House Charities and delivered a total of 400 blankets to St. Vincent de Paul and Trinity Cafe for those experiencing homelessness. They also surprised Bayfront Health staff and patients with flowers; brought cookies and Rays gear to 75 children at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Charlotte County; delivered pizza, soccer balls and Rays hats to 100 children at the Lake Vista Recreation Center; and stopped by Coppertail Brewing with cozies, car magnets and other swag.

At the end of the day, staffers split up into groups for a few final surprises. They provided snacks, cozies and Rays hats to recreational softball league players at North Shore Park in St. Petersburg and Gadsden Park in Tampa. They finished the night by bringing shaved ice to more than 100 players and coaches with youth baseball and softball teams on both sides of Tampa Bay.

“We wanted to just show the entire community, our community, how much we appreciate them,” Egles said.