The World Needs More Snow Buddies Who are Neighbors

 


In a growing trend among cities in the northern half of the United States, more neighboring departments are creating Snow Buddy or Snow Angel programs. A few examples include:

Arvada, Colorado

Englewood, Colorado

Alexandria, Virginia

Kansas City, Missouri

While the organization of these programs does vary, the goal is similar: to help people who are eldering and disabled get their sidewalk, driveway or car dug out following snowstorms.

In most of these examples, people who need help also register and the city works to match volunteers who are able to do some digging with those who need help.

But as the program in Englewood discovered, both groups benefit.

  • Max and Barb have been snow buddies for the past 4 years. Max enjoys being a snow buddy and said, "It was nice to help with something I am able to do relatively fast and to be able to check in on each other as well during a crazy storm."
  • Barb appreciates the snow buddies program and said, "The program has been wonderful for me. It's hard for me to clear all the snow and ice from my alley house walkway and front sidewalks." 

Here is one of the key parts of this program: Volunteers are not permitted to accept payment of any kind for the service, be that in the form of tips, food or otherwise.  It is purely and simply an act of kindness.

I realize there are exceptions to every rule. But, I have had first-hand experience with individuals who have nice snow blowers but refuse to use them to help anyone else. That just seems like a horrible waste of resources and a sad commentary on society.

If you have the equipment, or if you have a strong back, shovel a driveway or two this year as a simple act of kindness to help a neighbor in need.

For those wanting to know more on this topic, I interviewed Brady Porterfield-Finn on Neighboring 101 in 2024. He is a Neighborhood Specialist in Arvada, Colorado, where he oversees their Snow Buddies program, a topic we discuss during the program. View session here.


Written by David L. Burton

MORE INFORMATION

Take the Engaged Neighbor pledge and become part of a movement! The pledge outlines five categories and 20 principles to guide you toward becoming an engaged neighbor. Sign the pledge at https://nomoregoodneighbors.com. Individuals who take the pledge do get special invitations to future events online and in person. Contact the blog author, David L. Burton via emal at dburton541@yahoo.com.

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