Shoveling is nobody’s favourite pastime especially with a number of significant snowfalls in London over the past week.
For the elderly or handicapped, it’s an especially difficult and daunting task. For some, it’s impossible.
Enter an idea for London, created by Lincoln McCardle, but also mimicked by the cities of Hamilton and St. Thomas.
“What I wanted to create was, essentially, a website that was going to match people who needed help shoveling their snow with people willing to do it,” says McCardle.
Although the website is slow to come along (he’s aiming for a February or March launch), McCardle says reaction on social media has been positive. He’s even seen some Londoners already volunteering in the city.
“On our small street, I’ll bet we saw 10 or 12 people just walking up and down the streets with shovels,” he says. “I think ‘Snow Angels’ kind of already links in to something people are already doing, it’s just more formalizing it.”
McCardle believes that the idea of helping out your neighbour is lost on the technologically savvy generation. It’s a “look out for yourself” mentality in some suburban areas.
“As a kid growing up, I can remember the street I grew up on, I could tell you who lived in every house, everything about them. That’s not the case anymore,” says McCardle. “I think something like ‘Snow Angels’ could bring some of that back where, if you do meet people Saturday at your local public school to shovel together, you do start to get to know the neighbours.”
McCardle expects once a website is set up, that data can be quantified (how many hours it takes to shovel a driveway or sidewalk). Then, high school students who take part will also be able to use it towards their volunteer hours requirement.
For more information on how to help out, visit Snow Angels London Twitter and Facebook.
