This past winter a bad snowstorm showed me exactly how bad the problem is.

My sons weren’t around to help, so I had to go out and shovel. Our mailman is very passive-aggressive — if you’re even 20 seconds late clearing the end of the driveway where the mailbox sits, he leaves angry notes. So that’s what I had to do first.

The nerve pain in my neck was so bad I couldn’t use my left hand. I literally taped my hand to the shovel handle with electrical tape and spent **six full hours** just clearing that 20-foot stretch by the mailbox. I never even made it to the rest of the driveway. My chest and arm hurt so bad afterward that I lost the next three days.

I know I’m not the only one in Easthampton living like this.

When I first became disabled back in 2009, a neighbor I didn’t even know yet would show up during snowstorms and clear my driveway. He’d already had multiple severe illnesses at that point, but he’d be out there two hours before I could even get dressed and get outside. He never asked for a thing in return — just a good man doing the right thing. Even now, with my kids older and me a little more able, he still won’t let us help him back. He just wants to keep helping others.

That’s the kind of difference a little bit of effort and a little bit of time can make when someone isn’t feeling well. It can change everything.

There are seniors, disabled people, and disabled vets on my street and the three or four streets around me who can’t get out of their houses when the town plow leaves a four-foot drift at the end of the driveway. Caregivers, home health aides, and family can’t reach them. Some folks are basically trapped until the snow melts.

That’s why I’m starting this small volunteer project.

I want to buy one used lawn tractor or 4-wheeler **with a front snowblower attachment** (not just a plow blade). When the snow is really bad, a plow on a little tractor won’t actually do much — it just pushes the snow around. A snowblower throws it out of the way so I can actually clear the worst part: the first 5–20 feet at the end of the driveway where the mailbox and the deepest plow pile sit. Plus it won’t scrape up driveways or knock over flower beds and landscaping like a plow blade can.

I’m not charging anyone a dime. This is 100% volunteer. I’ll only help the people on my immediate streets who are elderly, disabled, or disabled vets. No big schedule, no business — just me heading out after a storm to make sure the people who need aid can actually get to the door.

Because I’m disabled and home full-time, once I have the riding snowblower I’ll be able to respond quickly — usually clearing those critical spots the same day or within hours. Without motorized help I couldn’t even clear my own driveway, so this equipment is what makes the whole project possible.

I’m disabled and on limited means, so there aren’t a lot of ways I can make a massive difference in someone’s life right now. A kind word always helps, but this feels like something bigger — something that’s been unavailable to me for a very long time. Charity and helping shouldn’t only come from people who are wealthy or healthy. This gives me a chance to pay forward the kind of help I once received and make a real difference for my neighbors, even if it’s just for a few days after a storm.

The idea came to me while watching a volunteer crew clear an old overgrown cemetery in Florida. Seeing regular people just get out there and fix something that needed fixing lit a spark. I thought, “I could do something small like that right here in Easthampton.”

**How the money will be used**

The goal covers:

- A solid used riding lawn tractor or 4-wheeler

- A compatible front-mounted snowblower attachment (the key piece I need)

- Any small accessories (chains, extra belt, etc.)

- Gas and basic maintenance for this winter and next

Any extra money will go straight to more attachments or fuel so I can keep helping longer.

If this works, it means fewer people in my neighborhood will spend hours in pain or stay trapped in their homes after a storm. Even one cleared mailbox or one caregiver who can actually get inside makes the whole thing worth it.

If you’ve ever struggled with snow, know someone who has, or just believe in neighbors helping neighbors, anything you can chip in would mean a lot. Even $5 or $10 adds up fast in a small town.

Thank you — from one person who’s been stuck in the snow and is tired of it.

— A disabled Easthampton neighbor who just wants to make the next winter a little easier for the folks who need it most.