Good Deed: Neighbors and volunteers aid in storm cleanup

Contributed photo / A group of volunteers helped with storm cleanup weeks after a fierce tornadoes damaged Shelby Watson's neighborhood. Neighbors and volunteers removed huge trees and debris, supplying food and bottled water to storm victims.
Contributed photo / A group of volunteers helped with storm cleanup weeks after a fierce tornadoes damaged Shelby Watson's neighborhood. Neighbors and volunteers removed huge trees and debris, supplying food and bottled water to storm victims.

As a 44-year subscriber to the Times Free Press, I thought a group of people needed recognition for their recent generosity to neighbors in need.

On the Saturday after the tornado on Easter Sunday, 11 neighbors (with two toddlers) came to help me remove huge trees and debris from my front and back yards, my driveway and off flower beds at my home in East Brainerd.

They came with chainsaws, rakes, shovels. The two toddlers picked up trash along with me and others. Their neighborhood, Brock Pointe, was without power as were we, but they had little damage whereas we had huge damage.

Another neighbor, Hailey Micks, sent sandwiches and bottled water for us when we stopped for a few minutes at noon to rest and eat. I later discovered that Hailey had been supplying sandwiches and water to all my neighbors as well and that this group who came to me had also done the same for the rest of the neighborhood.

In the weeks to come, I had several more groups of volunteers from the surrounding areas that were there to lend a helping hand.

Shelby Watson

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