OLATHE, Kan. — In these frigid temperatures, there are plenty of warm hearts.
As the snow continued to fall Friday at Larry Hoff's home in Olathe, he broke out his snowblower — a Valentine's Day gift — so he could get to work and do an act of kindness for his neighbor, who is recovering from heart surgery.
"Well, I like to help people out," Hoff said.
Hoff's kind gesture didn't go unnoticed by his neighbor, Shawn Jordan.
"Larry is a good neighbor," Jordan said. "He’s come over to take care of us, so I don’t have to get out and do it because I’m not able to right now. I’m thankful to have a neighbor like him."
A few blocks over, Travis Talley, a volunteer with Olathe's Snow Brigade program, was also helping others during the snowstorm.
"It’s people who can’t take care of their own driveways and need a little assistance, so I signed up to give back a little bit," Talley said.
Whenever a storm brings more than 2 inches of snow, volunteers are matched with homes whose residents are at least 62 years old or who have a disability.
"I think about my mom, who I know when she was in her own house, she couldn’t do this and she was always finding someone to help her if we couldn’t do it. So I thought it was just a good deal," Talley said of why he became involved in the Snow Brigade program.
The program is run by Olathe's Parks and Recreation Department. It currently needs volunteers because there's such high demand.
Currently, 50 homes are on a waiting list to receive assistance.
Talley said he encourages others to join him.
"It’s just kind of cool to see what you’ve done afterward and to know that when these people come home or leave, they don’t have to do deal with it," he said.
If you want to help or receive assistance from Olathe’s Snow Brigade program, click here.
