Trying to come up with a way to help those in need during the holidays led a Youngstown State University student on a virtual journey she didn’t expect.

Michelle McDonald, a Trumbull County resident, began combing through her home looking for things to donate to anyone after she looked at her budget this year.

“I’ve always wanted to sponsor a family around Christmas time,” she said, adding that as a single mom to a special needs son as well as a non-traditional college student, “I was trying to figure out a way to help people without spending money.”

On Dec. 15, the idea came to her to form a Facebook page called “Kind Hearts, Blessed Souls.”

McDonald said when she made the decision to form the group, she wasn’t expecting what was coming.

As of 1 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Kind Hearts, Blessed Souls had more than 4,500 members.

“I didn’t know it was going to explode,” she said.

McDonald got the word out by posting on buy-sell-trade groups, then shortly after “it went crazy.”

Within 24 hours of making the group “Facebook official,” Kind Hearts, Blessed Souls garnered more than 1,000 members.

Last Wednesday, there were more than 2,000. The number, McDonald said, changes constantly.

Scrolling through the countless posts, well-wishes, donations and those inquiring about any items they can borrow or receive can be read.

“It’s nice. We’ve helped a lot of people. Their kids have presents,” McDonald said, noting that above everything, people are showing compassion.

The only rules to join the group are: no selling, and members must be from Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania.

“People cannot ask for money,” McDonald stated. People will post, asking for resources to lower a utility bill, and others have paid it.

As far as donations being offered, McDonald said “it’s across the board. Anything you can think of has been donated.”

For instance, donors have put food boxes together, while another man ordered a dinner for a family and had it delivered to their door.

Raffles seem to be a big hit, too, McDonald said. One woman purchased a child’s bike and let her granddaughters choose a name.

There’s even a mechanic giving away free tires and mechanical work as they have time and materials available, McDonald said.

“There are so many stories of people finding the page and going through their stuff to help,” she said.

The experience is something McDonald hopes she can use for school, as she is studying social work and juvenile justice.

“I have donated stuff, been meeting and talking with people in person,” McDonald said. The face-to-face interaction has afforded her time to hear others’ histories, which she enjoys.

“It’s great experience for what I’ll be dealing with down the road,” she said.

McDonald anticipates graduating in 2020.

McDonald is the sole administrator of Kind Hearts, Blessed Souls. “It’s become my baby,” she said.

Group members submit a post request to her — about 100 requests a day — which she said she reads to weed out any spam or scams.

She also posts every two hours, otherwise the volume of posts will get “swallowed” up.

McDonald stops posting around 10 p.m.

She realizes that if she had more administrators, posts would be constant and more people could be helped, but at the end of the day, McDonald said people shouldn’t be glued to Facebook.

“It’s good to have breaks,” she said. “Everyone would be focusing on either donations or needing. I’m trying to keep it rational.”

In a way, the new task is more of a habit, McDonald said.

“If I think of it, I check Facebook all day. Instead of looking through my newsfeed, I work on this,” she said.

McDonald said she’s noticed her newsfeed is more positive as of late, becausse of the group.

Others have given her positive feedback as well, stating the random acts of kindness have “restored faith in humanity in this area.”

Keeping in tune with the giving theme, McDonald stopped posting any pending posts by 6 p.m. Christmas Eve, with posts resuming Thursday.

“Please spend lots of time with your families and kids,” her announcement states.

Going forward, McDonald is looking into trademarking the group name, making Kind Hearts, Blessed Souls a non-profit.

“I want to help people all year round, not just at Christmas,” McDonald said.

afox@tribtoday.com