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SnowJam 2014: the Kindness of Strangers, the Generosity of Friends and the Power of a Very Large SUV

By Amy Bretherton, Director of Marketing & Communications

The HoG offices closed at noon on Tuesday as the snow storm began in earnest. I was attending a luncheon and left early, but it was too late. It took me three hours to drive to the exit nearest the office, normally a 15 minute trip. I knew there was no way I could make it all the way home. I called a friend who lives nearby and asked if I could stay with her. She was on her way home and we agreed to meet at the entrance of her subdivision and leave our cars and walk up the hill to her house. I was relieved to have come up with such a good plan. My husband agreed getting off the roads was the smart thing to do.

If you saw the news coverage of the storm you may be able to guess what happened next. My friend was delayed and finally stranded after 12 hours in her car. I had to ask a complete stranger to take me in. I told him I worked at a nearby nonprofit and was a good person. I promised I wouldn’t boil his rabbit. Luckily, he didn’t have one.

The following morning my friend brought boots and a scarf and walked me to her house where I stayed until the office reopened on Thursday afternoon.  A quick stop at the grocery store for some clean socks and other necessities and I headed to work. Immediately someone said, “weren't you wearing those clothes on Tuesday?"

After a few hours it was time to brave the roads again and head home. North of the metro area the roads were still covered with snow and ice. I thought I might have to eventually leave my car and walk. I stopped at a rural dollar store and bought leopard boots, the only pair in stock, just in case. In the end my large, gas guzzling, non-eco-friendly SUV got me all the way to my front door. I was so happy to be home I had tears in my eyes.

There were so many amazing stories of kindness and generosity that came to light as the entire community pulled together in this crisis. Now that we have all returned to our busy lives let’s not forget how we helped one another and the good feeling it gave us. Please remember to be kind and generous to people in need. Don’t wait until the next major emergency to lend a helping hand.