NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — After a devastating week of winter weather across Middle Tennessee, neighbors in Germantown are showing what community spirit looks like by volunteering to clear dangerous ice from sidewalks.
The volunteer effort started when Caroline Melvin posted on Facebook about the need for sidewalk clearing. Her post quickly turned into a grassroots movement of neighbors grabbing shovels and ice scrapers to make their community safer.
"Well, I live here and people need to walk here and we can't because of the ice," said Tim Coffman. "So we're going to make sure people can walk around the neighborhood."
The ice covering Germantown sidewalks has been particularly stubborn, forcing residents to walk in the streets to avoid slipping. That's exactly what motivated this group of about six neighbors to take action.
Stan Schklar was surprised when he looked out his window and saw strangers clearing his sidewalk.
"Well actually I was just sitting inside having coffee and I heard the scraping outside and all of the sudden I look out and these people are scraping my sidewalk and I'm like I don't know who these people are!" Schklar said.
The volunteers explained they were fellow neighbors going around the area cleaning off sidewalks so people wouldn't have to risk walking in the street.
"They don't have the equipment because it happens so rarely," Coffman said. "And yeah, they appreciate that we're out here doing something for the neighborhood," one volunteer said.
"Everybody helping out each other, worrying about each other, keeping things safe for everybody," Schklar said. It's really refreshing. It's really – a community right now is really what we're all craving."
For these Germantown residents, this week's winter storm became an opportunity to strengthen community bonds.
"Neighbors are just always going to come together," Coffman said. You know who your neighbors are and this is a great chance to talk to them."
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