It is the day for the list of people doing good things. Obviously, the list is not complete. There are people doing good things because that’s the way they are and we never hear about them. We just got lucky with this group. We got to learn of the small ways they make this a better place. Let’s just say each of them represents thousands of others.

•Dan MacKenzie: At his Bonniedale Farm in Glocester, he takes in animals that are abandoned or close to being destroyed. He finds homes for some. Others find a home at Bonniedale, living out their days in a good place. And MacKenzie continues despite the foreclosure hanging over his farm. He even runs a food bank for pets — no questions asked. People have been generous with their support. He says he is bound and determined to keep on. He welcomes anyone who wants to visit. This year, you can get acquainted with a llama or a large pig and buy a Christmas tree at the same time.

•Operation Stand Down: On a hot July morning, this boots-on-the-ground organization opened its housing for disabled veterans on Bissell Street in Providence. It’s a good place where all the neighbors share common ground. And it is one more step in the endless struggle to help those who pay a high price for their service. Our wars continue and veterans bring an increasingly complicated mix of problems home. And Operation Stand Down will be there for them.

• Jean Claude Hakuzimana and Jean Nsabumuremi: These brothers survived the Rwandan genocide that claimed members of their family. They survived years of moving from one country to another in search of safety. And they ended up in Providence with their remaining family. They embraced education, one at Moses Brown and one at Cornell, and reminded us all how precious are the things we take for granted.

• Shawn Rubin: A teacher at the Highlander Charter School in Providence, Rubin and his wife, Laura Westberg, took a different kind of honeymoon. They took a two-year sabbatical and visited 20 countries and volunteered in 6. They came home and started contacting people and ended up creating a nonprofit organization called Longitude that supports human rights and educational initiatives in developing countries. It has already channeled funds and equipment and skilled labor to a women’s secretarial school in Ghana and a human-rights organization in India. It’s got plans.

• Jack Grant and Ed Znosko: And on the subject of Ghana and Longitude and the secretarial school, these brothers-in-law from Barrington heard about the project and signed on. They took vacation time from work, paid their own way and used their technical and construction skills to remodel a considerable part of the school.

•Lincoln Smith: In his early 60s, he lost his job after 40 years with the B.A. Ballou Co. So how did he deal with the hard jolt of unemployment at a difficult age? He volunteered at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. He looked for work while helping connect the needy with the most basic assistance. It’s a natural. He is passionate about people who are hungry. He thinks there is no reason for it in this country. For years, he has helped raise money for the Food Bank with the Crop Walk fundraiser at this church. There was no way unemployment was going to get in the way of his other good work.

Thanks to all.

bkerr@projo.com