30 Acts by 30: Bay Area man giving back to community to celebrate milestone birthday

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KGO) -- When some people turn 30, they decide to do things they've never done before.

And as a Bay Area man approaches the three-decade mark, he decided to make it something big.

One item at a time, South San Francisco's Bryan Tsiliacos is trying to make his community a better place.

To recognize the essential work of teachers, he is donating 150 supply kits for middle schools in Oakland.

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A 72-year-old East Palo Alto man known as Mississippi Joe, tends a garden in his backyard to grow vegetables he gives away to those in need.

"So, I chose Oakland in particular because, over the past school year, they've gone through a lot of unique challenges," Tsiliacos said. "So, I just simply wanted to give back and do something special for the teachers and hopefully put a smile on their faces."

But this good deed won't be his last.

Turning 30 years old is a milestone, but it can also be scary.

Instead of a crisis, when Tsiliacos turned 29, he decided to channel his anxieties into something good.

"I pulled out a sheet of paper and started to write down all the things that I was grateful for," Tsiliacos said. "And at that moment, I realized that every wonderful thing that has happened to me was thanks to the support and generosity of others."

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And thus, the 30 acts by 30 challenge was born.

Tsiliacos made it his mission to complete 30 acts of kindness before turning 30 next year.

After making more than 400 desserts for firefighters in San Jose for his first act, Tsiliacos asked for a specific supply wishlist from Oakland principals to best help their teachers.

"Because then I can prioritize the most important, must-have items to put in the kits," Tsiliacos said. "And what you see here is what exactly is that."

Paper, markers, disinfecting wipes, around $12,000 of supplies donated by 18 sponsor companies from across the country.

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"If we continue giving back, then it makes us feel like we're getting something just simply by being kind," Orion Jean said.

Tsiliacos has been documenting his acts of kindness on his Instagram and TikTok pages and now he hopes others sees them and are inspired to give back as well.

"Kindness is interesting because it has that thing of being very addictive, once you do one act of kindness you want to do another," Tsiliacos said. "So, I would encourage others to keep doing acts of kindness because one act can lead to hundreds and it really can."

Getting older is a given, but giving back never gets old.

Tsiliacos said his next act will take place in San Francisco and he will share the details on his Instagram and TikTok pages.

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