NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — People across the state are still digging out after Tuesday’s storm. Some need help shoveling, but it’s not always easy to get help.
This snow is not easy to shovel. However, there are volunteers looking to help those who can’t move it by themselves. Curtis Beaman is one of them. He shoveled for several hours after work on Thursday. Despite the cold weather, he felt warmer knowing he was helping. That’s not all he got.
“One lady gave me this shovel,” Beaman said. “Everyone who gets help, they have a very good response.”
He and other volunteers helped dig an elderly man’s car out so he could get to a doctor’s appointment on Friday.
Kate Walton is the Executive Director of Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers. She says they got more than a dozen calls for help, and they are working with the city to get people moving again. She worked with Beaman to shovel out the man’s car.
“He is an elderly man,” Walton said. “He still however drives and can go to where he needs to go but would never be able to do this by himself.”
The more people who grab a shovel, the more people they can dig out. However, they aren’t the only ones helping people in need find assistance. Staff at See Click Fix were doing that at computers.
“There are a lot of individuals during a snowstorm who have shovels and are really excited to volunteer but don’t know how,” said Caroline Smith, co-director of marketing at See Click Fix.
The website and app connect volunteers with the people who need them.
“It’s one of the best ways to connect neighbors during a storm,” Smith said.
Many people were brought together on Thursday, and the cleanup is not over yet.
“We’re going to keep our effort going for as long as the calls are coming into us,” said Walton.
See Click Fix can be used anywhere – not just in New Haven.
If you would like to volunteer to help shovel, call Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers at 203 230 8994.
