TRAVERSE CITY — Residents of Northern Michigan say that they’re grateful for random acts of kindness they’ve seen following the brutal snow and ice storm.
From helping move a car to offering a place to sleep, locals say they’ve seen their community step up to help those in need.
Karin Chrostek is a mother who works at Munson Health. She says that after a 12-hour shift on Monday, she went to pick up her son east of Traverse City.
Chrostek’s car became stuck in a neighborhood she was unfamiliar with, multiple miles from her son.
Chrostek says shes was helped by a father and son, who worked to shovel the snow around her car.
“They were armed with shovels, and they started digging out. I did what i could with my snow scraper, my good mittens and my jacket,” she said.
While the three of them worked, conditions remained dangerous.
Chrostek says another stranger from the neighborhood offered to host her for the night, which Chrostek took her up on.
“We kind of talked about the storm and the state of things, and we both kind of reaffirmed that this was a step forward in terms of redemption of humanity,” she said.
Chrostek says that tough moments like these show how the community is often there to step up and help others.
“Honestly, without the three of them, I would still be stuck,” she said. “So I picked up my son this morning, and it was victorious, and we both came home and took naps. Just happy to be here.”
Numerous strangers have also been seen helping out stuck cars, either with equipment or a simple push.
Two of those helpers are Brooklyn and Kayden from Sault Ste. Marie. They say they’ve helped 20 to 30 people in need of driveway shoveling or assistance with their car.
“It feels very good to help out people,” Kayden said. “If i was stuck in a ditch, I’d more than want a truck to come help pull me out or offer to help.”
They said they decided to help out while visiting from the UP, and even purchased some new equipment today to use.
“Any time we see somebody struggling, like an older person struggling with shoveling snow, we’ll pull over and just say, ‘Hey, can we give you a hand with that?’” Kayden said.
Authorities are recommending that anyone who is able to stay home continue to do so.