Random Acts of Kindness

The City of Saskatoon has declared February 16-21 Random Acts of Kindness Week!

Get your kind hearts ready, Saskatoon! We are excited to announce that the City of Saskatoon has proclaimed February 16-21, 2026 to be known as Kindness Week. The Saskatoon Community Foundation and Leadership Saskatoon are excited to be leading the charge to spread kindness through the week. The Saskatoon Community Foundation’s mission is to inspire philanthropy, build community, and lead change in Saskatoon. Leadership Saskatoon lives by the motto: We build leaders, leaders build community. We’ve teamed up to build the local RAKtivist community and encourage kindness – from February 16-21, and beyond.

Random Acts of Kindness movements aren’t new. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation inspired the movement, dating back to 1995. The day encourages positive actions to bring joy and delight, not only to the recipient but also to the person spreading kindness.

This isn’t just a day on paper, we are really, really excited to share some resources for a fun way to join the kindness movement right here in Saskatoon. We’ve got resources, bingo cards, and prizes! If you are a workplace, school, or organization and would like to participate, please download the media kit here.

The Science of Kindness

Kindness is more than a good deed, it’s like excercise for your soul. The more kindness you do for others, the more health benefits you experience. When we are kind we experience a boost in oxytocin, seratonin, and dopamine. Oxytocin is the chemical often referred to as the ‘love’ hormone and it helps humans to bond with each other, decrease their stress, and improve their health. Seratonin helps us regulate our mood, and dopamine is a chemical associated with joy, motivation, memory, and attention.

Mental Health Benefits of Being Kind

When we are consistently kind, we have an opportunity to improve our mental health outcomes by balancing our mood, feeling bursts of joy and happiness, warmth and connection, and the feel-good experience of the “helper’s high”, a euphoric feeling of joy caused by an increase in dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin. This reduces stress, improves mood, increases feelings of happiness, and reduces anxiety and depression.

Physical Health Benefits of Being Kind

With the increase in hormones that make us feel happier, it comes as no surprise that we benefit physically from being kind. When oxytocin is released, it helps to reduce the stress hormone cortisol, and dilates our blood vessels which both aid in lowering blood pressure. When we reduce cortisol we also reduce inflammation which can improve cardiovascular health. Research shows that we even live longer because we continue to improve our health outcomes by reducing our risk of heart disease. Plus, all of those feel-good hormones make us glow. One might say kindness is the sought-after fountain of youth (ok, maybe a stretch, but why not test it out?).

What Can I Do for Kindness Week?

Not sure where to start? No worries – we got your inspiration covered. Below you’ll find ideas, an invitation to play kindness bingo, and different kindness themes for each of the days of Kindness Week.

Kindness Week Resources

Play Kindness Bingo Cards and Win!

Kindness Prompts for Adults, Youth and Yourself

Kindness at Home

Kindness at Work & School

Kindness in the Community

Kindness to Ourselves

Additional Resources

If you would like more inspiration, visit Random Acts of Kindness Foundation for an incredible library of resources. If you would like to read more information around the science of kindness and the health benefits, you can read more at Harvard Health, Science News Today, Psychology Fanatic, and The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

A collaboration between Leadership Saskatoon & Saskatoon Community Foundation.