Welcome to the Random Acts of Kindness thread, also known as the RAOK place. This is where we post things to give away to others, asking NOTHING in return but a thank you. No money or credits are exchanged. We give freely, at our own expense. If you see something you’d like, PM the member with your mailing info. If you are the one mailing, please be sure to put full postage on any packages you send. Members have reported receiving "gifts" with postage due.  Remember this is a PUBLIC forum, meaning anyone (not just members) can see what is posted here.  Please do not post last names, addresses, or postal tracking numbers here, in order to protect the privacy of our participants.

Please note that we must abide by PBS rules - NO buying, selling or advertising allowed.

For liability reasons, we are sorry, but no medications of any kind may be posted in this forum. This includes prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and supplements.

RAOK rules -
You may not ask for anything in return for the things you post here. Please do not ask for postage, or to swap or trade.
If you ask for a RAOK posted by another member, please do not offer to pay or give something in return. This is not allowed and defeats the purpose of the Random Act of Kindness.  Try to pay it forward and perhaps grant some wishes in the ***I Wish*** thread.
We ask that you do not reply within the thread, use PMs instead. We are different from most forums in this way. When we go to ***I Wish***, we see wishes; in ***RAOK***, we see just what’s being given away. If you have a question about it, simply PM the member. All RAOKs should be handled privately between members via PM.
Please do not post single use codes - such as Coke codes - in this forum. Post that you have them and let members PM you for them. It saves all the replies within the thread (see above). You may start a separate thread if you want to post them that way. Or check the ***I Wish*** thread and simply grant a Coke code wish or two. Codes that can be used over and over again are perfectly fine to post here in RAOK.
Please do not ask someone for ‘everything on your list’ (yes, it’s been done), so that others can have a chance.
One of our most important rules is that you must acknowledge receipt of the things sent to you! This is our biggest problem. People take the time to post, wrap, and mail, and then never know if the package arrived. Please say thanks for what you receive, either by PM or in the ***Thank You*** thread. It’s the polite thing to do, and we all worry about our mail getting through. Those who don't acknowledge a kindness will often find their future requests ignored.
Please include your nickname when you mail out a RAOK. This makes you easier to find and thank.
Be sure to check your listing and edit as needed, so people are not disappointed. We know that life gets in the way and computers crash, but please try.
Credit transactions should take place in the Book Bazaar or by private PM.  Credits may not be offered as gifts anywhere in RAOK.

RAOK Tips -
Think carefully about what you want to give away before you post. Postage costs these days can be terrible for ALL items that cannot go by media mail. We have all been shocked by the postage for something we mailed here; it happens often. Think first! This is a fun place, but you don’t need to empty your wallet by taking part. It’s wonderful to do something nice for others, but be kind to yourself too.

Before you post something to give away, check the ***I Wish*** thread --- someone may already be asking for it!

If you mark "taken" by your items that have been asked for, please put the word TAKEN in another color by that item, so it's easily apparent to our members that something is no longer available. Or use another method to show an item is no longer available.  This avoids disappointments and keeps you from getting more requests for an item that has already been claimed.  Or, just edit your post to delete that item.

Random drawings:  If you wish to sponsor a random drawing for an item you are offering, please, before you post your offer, PM the current RAOK manager with the winning number (between 1 and 25).  The manager will post a table with the numbers 1 through 25.  Then post your offer, including the information that people interested in participating in the drawing should choose a number between 1 and 25 and PM that number to the thread manager.  The manager will enter participants' names into the table, so that subsequent participants will know which numbers are still available.  When no more numbers have been requested for 24 hours, the drawing will be closed and the winner announced.

If one of us contacts you about changing your post, please understand that we have to follow PBS rules and guidelines. Often we have to ask someone to change or delete a post because of that. New things come up here all the time. If something is not appropriate, we will tell you so, and ask you to change it. Remember that the PBS team does oversee the forums. They edit posts and have been known to suspend accounts. We hate to have that happen to our fellow RAOKers when we can take care of problems ourselves.

RAOK reminders for people requesting something that is offered here -
The people offering RAOKs are doing it out of kindness and generosity, often despite limited means.  Please make your requests for those items in the same spirit, and do not ask for anything that was not explicitly offered.  The people posting RAOKs are offering just what they have, and we appreciate them for doing so.  A request for substitutions is not in keeping with the intention of this thread.  If you would accept only a particular color, size, flavor, or other quality of an offered item, then please use the monthly ***I Wish*** thread to ask for the specific item there instead.

Reminder about the use of Media Mail
Per the USPS website, here are the things that can be sent by Media Mail:  books, CDs, DVD, manuscripts for books or music, play scripts, computer-readable media for any of the preceding, cellluloid film of 16mm width or less, printed test materials and their accessories, printed educational reference charts, medical information in the form of loose-leaf pages in a binder.   Anything else, even if printed (such as message pads, stickynotes, notebooks without an ISBN, etc) must go by some other class of mail.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to PM me and ask. We are always happy to be of help to members of the RAOK forum, new or old. Thanks for participating in this great part of PBS!  Enjoy!