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Lend a hand to those who are not able to shovel
By JosephPorcelli on Sat, 01/24/2015 - 1:50pm
Snowstorms can be a lot of fun, but for neighbors who are older, injured or have an access or functional need, snowstorms can cause a great deal of anxiety and pose a threat to their well-being.
Often, those who need help shoveling do not know anyone who can help, and kids do not come around like they used to for some reason. If you are willing to help dig out a neighbor in need, or you need help shoveling, you can create a free profile on SnowCrew.org. I also encourage those of you who are members of Nextdoor.com, the free and private social network for the neighborhood, to let your neighbors know you are willing to shovel them out. If you are not yet on Nextdoor, I recommend you join! (Disclosure - I work for Nextdoor).
I also invite you to consider taking a couple minutes to think about who in your neighborhood might appreciate a hand. For those you can think of, go knock on their doors and let them know you are willing to help dig them out. Additionally, If you notice a sidewalk, walkway, or driveway covered in snow, it may be a sign that someone needs help. Again, if you are willing, knock on your neighbor's door and offer assistance.
During a storm earlier this month in DC where I now live (I miss you, Boston), I dug out a neighbor in the picture above 6 days AFTER the storm ended. The woman was trapped in her home for 6 DAYS! The snow on the other side of the street had melted, but her house received limited sun. Let’s make sure no more of our neighbors get trapped inside their homes this winter.
Sign up for Snowcrew.org to get notifications when a neighbor on your street requests assistance shoveling and use the "Scout" feature to see who else needs help shoveling nearby. Please also let your neighbors on Nextdoor.com know you are willing to help – it will mean the world to them.
Stay warm and thank you for being kind to your neighbors!
@JosephPorcelli
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Comments
Excellent, thank you!
Excellent, thank you!
Nextdoor.com
Is an amazing group, I'm a member of my neighborhood and have met many cool and kind folks.
Want to add
If you are able-bodied, please take responsibility and clear your sidewalk. People with disabilities - wheel chair users, blind, people with poor balance, weakness etc - have a really difficult time navigating slippery and uneven terrain.
sidewalk ice creates disabled people
It's very easy to be a perfectly able-bodied person, slip on surprise slick spot of the sidewalk, and get a debilitating injury.
"Surprise slick?"
What the hell is surprising about a sidewalk being slick in Boston during the winter?
Great sentiment
This is a great sentiment, and one people should really consider, especially on a weekend day when many of us don't have work obligations demanding our time. Just a friendly heads up, though - you should really proofread your posts before letting them go live. There are so many errors in this it's borderline unintelligible at some points.
Thanks for pointing out mistakes
Brenda,
I did not notice that I published a rough draft of my post. Thank you for letting me know.
With gratitude,
Joseph
Yes - but need QA
This is SO important. If we are lucky we will all be disabled one day. It's called growing old. It's a honor that should be respected and I love this post about being a good neighbor. One needs to stand where they live.
On another note. I love the idea of Nextdoor. I tried to sign up, but once it got my neighborhood wrong I couldn't figure out how to correct it. When you fix that I'll sign up. I know Rochester is lovely but I can't do anything for anyone there.
More importantly, thank you for posting this. All people need help at some point.
Email help at nextdoor dot com
M,
If you email our help desk, they will get you signed up in your neighborhood. Send an email to help at nextdoor dot com.
Joseph
Why?
Why do people have to be told this? Society is going down the shit chute.
And isn't it fun to complain about it?
I understand what you're saying, but unless you're a sociologist and really want to analyze the alleged phenomenon, generalizations like yours really add more heat than light. People socialize differently, they communicate differently, they form associations differently. Once upon a time, probably everyone in a given neighborhood went to the same church, all the kids went to a school in the neighborhood, etc. That doesn't mean that people in those times were original humanitarian geniuses, it meant that they had more social oversight, if you will -- more people watching. Times have changed. Rather than complain about how it ain't like the old days, why not try to make things work better now? If yesterday's way of connecting was the church parish hall and now it's a website, does it matter as long as the job gets done?
Don't Forget the Hydrants, Too!
If you live near a hydrant, you can adopt it at http://boston.adoptahydrant.org/. While the BFD will be shoveling out hydrants, too, it's extra helpful for neighbors to do this so that they can focus on more important things.