Long Island woman goes on 3-year nationwide road-trip documenting acts of kindness

LONG ISLAND - Mary Latham’s car is decked out in over 50 decals, one for each state she stopped in as part of a an epic cross-country journey.

“I started on October 29, 2016 and finished on November 30, 2019. It was three years and 31 days, I stayed in 154 homes across the country and drove over 43,000 miles,” Latham said.

The inspiration for the trip was her mother Pat, who lost her battle with cancer. Latham drove the car in her mother's honor, traveling through each state in the nation with one goal in mind, to one day create a book highlighting stories of hope to put in hospital waiting rooms to help others. 

“I think there isn't really much to say,” Latham said. “Sometimes, I hope this book is just a hug for them.”

The project "More Good Today" chronicles acts of kindness from across the nation. Latham took photos of strangers who became friends and collected stories about inspiration and hope. 

“It was families losing children, husbands, best friends, or going through these really traumatic things or losing their legs and how they got up and kept going forward and inspired lots of people by doing that,” Latham said. “There’s always going to be tragedies and horrible things that will inevatibly happen in our lives and in the world but there will always be more good if you look for it.”