People across North America have been handing out cookies, sticking hand-drawn holiday cards on windshields and helping the homeless — all thanks to a Toronto-born social media challenge.

Dekel Katzav, who runs the Motivated 2 Be Great social media accounts, started the #dogoodbegreat challenge during the holiday season to ask his thousands of followers to do something good for others.

Katzav said he was happy to provide the spark.

"People want to do something. I just think that you need to push them a little bit," he told CBC Toronto.

For his good deed, Katzav handed out home-cooked meals to homeless people at Yonge-Dundas Square, along with clean, warm clothing.

Here's a look at some of the responses his challenge generated:

This family handed out hand drawn cards that say "You are loved!"

One man anonymously paid for someone's lunch, and was happy to find out that he knew the woman he'd helped.

And several people, including this woman in Trenton, Ont., chose to donate food to local food banks.

If you want to see more of the #dogoodbegreat challenge, just click the hashtag.