As the skies darken and the wind begins to kick up, a dark smile plays across Julie Kresen’s face. The heavens open as she hops into her truck, the first wet splatters appearing on the windshield. Tonight, she will prowl the streets of Pittsburgh searching for the helpless and unprepared. She will pull up to them slowly, roll down her window and gently — they spook so easily — she will offer them a yellow umbrella.

This month we turn to a Challenger Brand of international proportions. A CB founded on decency, humanity and random acts of kindness. An organization out to make sure you never again have to suffer fogged glasses, flattened hairdos and sopping, pants-stuck-to-your-legs wetness.

Here You Go is a Pittsburgh-based community project that gives out yellow umbrellas to people caught in the rain. Each umbrella has waterproof, pre-stamped postcards for the user to fill out and send back to HQ.

Basically, someone does a nice thing for you by giving you shelter from the storm. You can then either pass your umbrella along or pay it forward by doing something nice for someone else.

It sounds rudimentary, but the Here You Go project has legs. Postcards have come back from all over the country. What’s more, Julie, founder, says she’s heard from people in Croatia, Italy, Mexico, Holland and Australia looking to set up umbrella projects of their own.

The greatest proof of the project’s impact though is the slew of scanned postcards on Here You Go’s site. Some say thanks, others describe how much they needed an umbrella at that particular moment and yet others tell tales of great acts of inspired good — paying for groceries, lending money, giving favors.

Because the ripples of such interactions are difficult to track, Julie admits it’s impossible to know the true impact of her yellow army. She’s nearly through the 1000 umbrellas purchased through Kickstarter funds, donations and investments from friends — including Julie’s fiancé Geoff Barnes (Social Media) and friend Katy Ladner (Designer). So if the project is to continue, Julie and the gang may require a little help.

Happily, Here You Go was recently contacted by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley and she’s even been putting out feelers for corporate sponsorship. (Given the number of postcards citing good deeds done at Pittsburgh-area Giant Eagle grocery stores, the community-minded brand seems a natural fit.)

“As long as it rains, we can still do this project,” says Julie, that wild, rainy-day-look in her eye.

And Giant Eagle, if you’re listening: “Here You GetGo” has a rather nice ring to it.

Want to help? Visit 1000umbrellas.org to donate dryness and spark more inspiration.