Le Pain Quotidien is set to launch a new social experiment into how receptive the local London community is to random acts of kindness, inspired by worldwide phenomenon of Paying It Forward (PIF), which is celebrated worldwide on 28 April.
In line with the casual dining-bakery chain's community spirit and genesis to putting something good back into the world, it will be pioneering the use of PIF.
Launching in London, week commencing 25 April, the brand will spearhead the campaign across 26 London stores, welcoming guests to take part in the trial performing random acts of kindness throughout the week, leading up to the official PIF day on 28 April.
Partnering with national charity, FoodCycle, who build communities and create nutritious meals made from surplus food for people at risk of food poverty and social isolation; we will be donating £5 to FoodCycle for every baking masterclass purchased via PIF.
Leading psychologist, Sandi Mann from University of Central Lancashire has authored a book about the psychology of paying it forward, entitled: Paying It Forward: how one cup of coffee could change the world.
Mann explained why random acts of kindness can be met with suspicion especially from people living in London, “This is natural for city dwellers who are used to fighting for resources rather than sharing them. I hope that campaigns like this demonstrate that even in London, there are kind people who are acting with no ulterior motive other than the desire to be nice!
“It’s fantastic to see leading industry brands such as Le Pain Quotidien getting behind this kindness initiative which will hopefully encourage an onward domino effect of doing a good deed.”