Leave quarters at the laundromat
A few dollars in coins, left on the machines, for whoever counted wrong tonight.
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Why it lands
Running out of quarters mid-load is a specific and miserable problem: your clothes are wet, the change machine is broken, and the store with the change is closed. It also lands hardest on people for whom a laundromat is not a choice. This is one of the few gestures where a very small amount of money removes an entire evening's worth of trouble for a stranger you will never identify.
How
Get $5 in quarters and leave them in small stacks on top of a few machines, or in the coin slot tray. Late evening is when people get caught short. If the place has a bulletin board, a sticky note saying “for whoever needs them” stops people wondering whether they're stealing — without it, most people leave them alone.
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