Philadelphia-Based Service Group Heads To Boston, Mass. For Snow Relief Duty
By Jim Melwert
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Some volunteers, armed with snow shovels and road salt, are headed to Boston to help senior citizens dig out from what have been historic amounts of snow.
Jackie Wleh, with ABC Men, says they're picking up another volunteer in New York as they drive 314 miles to fulfill a request for help.
"We received a request from a senior from (the Boston neighborhood of) Dorchester, and we decided not only to help that particular senior but to also help the rest of the citizens of Boston," Wleh (second from right in photo) tells KYW Newsradio.
They're making the five-to-six hour trek with ABC Men -- the A-B-C stands for Able Bodied Christians. Also making the trip was Kenneth Walker Jr. (second from left), who says they have no idea what to expect.
"Really don't know, because we haven't been out there, but we've been hearing a lot of stories of them diving in snow and things like that," Walker says with a nervous laugh.
The group says this is just part of ABC Men's efforts to create a culture of service -- not only here in Philadelphia but around the country.
The group will shovel out cars or sidewalks for no charge. And Jackie says don't worry: there are plenty of volunteers still in Philadelphia to help others dig out from our latest snowfall.
Meanwhil, ABC Men is trying to raise money on gofundme.com so they can buy a 15-passenger van. For today's trip, they had to rent a minivan.