I sometimes take the VTA bus to work or go on errands. On a recent afternoon, on the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road, I sat toward the back of the bus because it was crowded.

Three girls who looked to be of high school age got on after me. They were speaking animatedly in Brazilian Portuguese about their homework and what they were doing later that day. 

At the next stop a man and woman got on. The woman helped the man navigate the steps as he was swaying and stumbling. She loaded up their heavy backpacks which looked dirty and worn. As soon as the man sat down, he leaned over onto the two seats next to him, unable to hold himself up. Meanwhile, the woman dug into the backpack for the $4 bus fare it would cost for the two of them to travel one town over.

After coming up with $3.50, she continued to look in every pocket as a bus driver in training stood by waiting for the additional fifty cents. The bus continued on its route while the search through the backpack went on for at least five minutes.

I considered finding the money to help with the fare but my compassion wasn’t fast enough. One of the teenagers broke away from her friends and silently walked up to the woman and handed her a dollar bill. The woman thanked the young girl and paid the rest of the fare to the bus driver in training. She then continued to search in her bag for the fifty cents, saying she wanted to pay the young woman back.

The young woman, in jeans and a mouthful of braces, waved off the offer and rejoined her friends.

The bus ride continued. It took the woman a long time but she eventually found fifty cents in her bag. A few stops later, the teenager and her friends stood to leave the bus. As she passed the woman and her friend at the front of the bus, the woman insisted the girl take the change. Reluctantly, she did and at that moment the man, who had previously seemed oblivious to the interactions, sat up and offered her a fist bump. The young woman curled her fingers and accepted it.

Watching someone step out of their comfort zone to help another is an amazing thing to witness. Sometimes it seems as if there is nothing we can do, the problems are so enormous, and yet so many are doing something, from a teenager on a bus, to the myriad number of volunteers giving time and resources to the local winter shelter, and to the many programs all over the Island aimed at combating food insecurity.

VTA is giving back too. Recently the transit authority announced all bus rides will be free from November to April thanks to a $1.8 million grant from the state. This is a nice gesture for the many residents who need the bus fare money in their pockets for food, medicine or other basic needs.

As the holiday season arrives and thoughts turn to giving thanks for what we have been given, may our thoughts also turn to what we can give back.