TSA ID checkpoint

Little Acts of Kindness

TSA officer spent her stimulus check to support and thank front-line workers.

TSA Supervisor Samantha Mudge has been making masks to hand out to law enforcement, healthcare workers, pharmacy workers and others in her community.

Mudge remembers what it was like last year, working during the federal government shutdown for several weeks without a paycheck.

“So many people helped us during the government furlough,” Mudge said. “So I felt that I needed to do something to support others” during the pandemic.

A 13-year veteran of the TSA, Mudge works the early 3:15 a.m. shift at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Mudge decided to crochet masks for the Calvert County Sheriff’s Department. She crocheted 25 masks in black with a blue line across them—symbolic of the phrase “thin blue line,” which is emblematic of law enforcement—and dropped them off at the Sheriff’s office along with a box of submarine sandwiches from a local shop and a couple pounds of shrimp from a local grocery store.

Still, Mudge felt an internal desire to do more. When her stimulus check arrived in the mail, she made a conscious decision to use that money in ways to back people who have to work during the pandemic. “When I received my check, I looked at it and knew I could do more” to support others during the pandemic, she said. She bought fabric to sew masks, yarn to crochet masks and food to donate.

She sewed 50 masks and donated them to the CalvertHealth Medical Center in Calvert County, Maryland; delivered 30 masks to her local Walmart pharmacy because her pharmacist and pharmacy workers had no masks; and she handed a bag of her masks to healthcare workers who were standing outside waiting for food at a BBQ restaurant.

“I guess you could say they were all random acts of kindness,” Mudge said. She knows that during the pandemic, that her unexpected generosity is appreciated, much like she and her TSA colleagues were grateful for the support of the public during the government shutdown. “It’s just spreading some kindness” during these unusual times, she said.

About the Author

Ralph C. Jensen is the Publisher/Editor in chief of Security Today magazine.

Featured

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

  • ASIS International Introduces New ANSI-Approved Investigations Standard

    • Guard Services
  • Cloud Security Alliance Brings AI-Assisted Auditing to Cloud Computing

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today introduced an innovative addition to its suite of Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk (STAR) Registry assessments with the launch of Valid-AI-ted, an AI-powered, automated validation system. The new tool provides an automated quality check of assurance information of STAR Level 1 self-assessments using state-of-the-art LLM technology. Read Now

  • Report: Nearly 1 in 5 Healthcare Leaders Say Cyberattacks Have Impacted Patient Care

    Omega Systems, a provider of managed IT and security services, today released new research that reveals the growing impact of cybersecurity challenges on leading healthcare organizations and patient safety. According to the 2025 Healthcare IT Landscape Report, 19% of healthcare leaders say a cyberattack has already disrupted patient care, and more than half (52%) believe a fatal cyber-related incident is inevitable within the next five years. Read Now

New Products

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.