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December 16th, 2021 
Awake Goy Good People Doing Good Things — Helpers
Posted on December 15, 2021 by jilldennison
As I sat down to write this post, I sighed deeply, not really feeling in the right spirit for a ‘good people’ post. But, knowing how much you all enjoy the good people posts, I carried on and within a few minutes of reading about good people, my dark mood began to lift. Funny how good people can do that, isn’t it?
Jimmy Finch lives in Clarksville, Tennessee, about 90 miles from Mayfield, Kentucky, where a devastating tornado hit last Friday night. Mayfield reportedly suffered the worst damage throughout the five states that were impacted by tornadoes that night.
On Sunday morning, Jimmy Finch loaded food and a smoker onto his small trailer and headed out to feed the people of Mayfield. As Jimmy tells it …
“I know they don’t have electricity. No restaurants. No running water. I just figured I would do what I could do. So I showed up with some food and some water. I just came down here trying to feed the people. Everybody’s talking about they’re sending up prayers and, you know, their well wishes and everything. You know, folks can’t eat no prayer. You gotta put something in their stomach. Give them something to hold on to.”
When asked if he owned a restaurant, Finch simply laughed it off by shaking his head no, adding, “it just needed to be done.”
Jimmy says he plans to stay in Mayfield to help however he can.
“It might not be a bad idea to move to Mayfield. Small people are going to help build it back. When I run out of money to pay for food, I have an 18-foot trailer I’m going to bring and help people haul stuff away.”
That, my friends, is a ‘good people’ if ever I’ve seen one! Thumbs up to Jimmy Finch!
Last year, Brian Schwartz of New Jersey was laid off from his job at a digital advertising agency, due to the pandemic. Not sure what to do next, Brian asked himself, “What now? What to do?” And then, according to Brian …
“On a whim, I decided to start a FREE lawn mowing service for seniors, age 65 and up, in northern New Jersey, where I live, and soon I was harboring a moonshot vision of helping people on a scale beyond just my own part of the country. This would mean getting other people involved—advisors, volunteers, landscaping companies, network partners, and donors, too. And officially incorporating as a 501(c)(3) Not For Profit Organization.
Far-fetched? Maybe. But it just seemed to me that given everything we are all dealing with now, the least I can do is cut the grass for elderly neighbors. I know how to cut grass. Virus or no virus, people need this chore done; if they can’t do it themselves, they need someone else to do it.”
Brian’s organization, I Want To Mow Your Lawn, is a free lawn-mowing service for seniors, age 65 and up, veterans and the disabled. It started in Schwartz’ home state of New Jersey but has expanded to dozens of states across the country.
Well, there isn’t much grass that needs cutting at this time of year, so Brian and his team of volunteers are clearing snow for the 65-and-older bunch!
Brian Christensen is one of those volunteers helping out in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He signed up for “I Want To Mow Your Lawn” last year for a mental shift.
“It feels good. You know, I think everything that has happened in the past, however many years, has really had people not see the good, and it’s kind of what I like to do. People will see the good in the world, and so yeah, it feels good. It’s exhausting, but it feels good.”
Christensen calls it his time of Zen. He adds that shoveling does the same thing for him and helps others at the same time.
My apologies for only sharing two ‘good people’ stories today, but I actually managed to cook supper tonight, unloaded and re-loaded the dishwasher, and now my energy has completely run out! However, I’ll be back with more good people stories next week!
https://jilldennison.com/2021/12/15/good-people-doing-good-things-helpers-3/
Thanks to: https://jilldennison.com
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