For years, nine women in Tennessee have been taking part in a secret activity together. They’ve been getting up very early in the morning and making cakes and other baked treats. Then, they put together care packages that they leave on people’s doorsteps in the night. The women, who call themselves the Nine Nanas, don’t know the recipients of their care packages.
The women try to give their packages to people who are going through hard times. They will drive around and look for houses that have no lights on at night which is a sign that the power has probably been cut off. Or, they will look for houses that have fans in the windows indicating the owners can’t afford air-conditioning. Then, the women will stealthily leave their packages on the doorsteps.
Four of the nine women are sisters. They were inspired to perform these acts of kindness for strangers by their grandmother. This woman used to read in the obituaries that someone had died and would send the surviving family a special pound cake in the mail.
The Nine Nanas would still be doing their gift-giving undercover if one of their husbands hadn’t figured out what was going on. He became suspicious after he noticed his wife was spending a lot of money on gas and also on flour, sugar and other ingredients for the treats. When he confronted her, the truth came out, and now the Nine Nanas are a national story.