Kindness of 'Charlie's Cooler' spreads to 15 states and overseas

I'm so thankful to be healing well. Now, back to reading and writing and actually participating in life!

Over five years ago, New Jersey resident Charlie Poveromo watched sanitation workers pick up  neighborhood trash during a brutal heat wave. The men were sweaty and pale, so Charlie ran out with a jug of cold water and some cups for the workers. That same day, he started a summer tradition: stock a cooler full of iced drinks and leave it open on his lawn for overheated landscapers, sanitation workers, mail personnel, etc. Dozens of people helped themselves to Charlie's kindness every week for years.

Charlie died unexpectedly in March. This summer, his widow, Velvet, set out the cooler with a note stating that she would do her best to carry on her husband's tradition. Social media spread the word. Now Charlie's Coolers have popped up throughout New Jersey, plus 15 other states, the Virgin Islands, Italy, and Japan.

Velvet is delighted with the response. Seeing the way Charlie touches people even after his death "helps heal me," she said. "And it all started with this: a cooler on a lawn."