In St. Louis, one man turned a frustrating winter storm into a moment of pure community spirit. So – a big winter storm hits – the snow left neighborhood streets buried and nearly impossible to drive through. Then – along comes Kenneth Harrell. He decided he wasn’t going to wait for help — he was the help.
He rented a skid‑steer loader with his own money — about five hundred bucks — and spent days clearing streets he doesn’t even live on. He just felt connected to the neighborhood and wanted to make sure people could get to work, get groceries, and get moving again.
As he plowed, videos of “the guy with the skid steer” started spreading online, and neighbors began cheering him on. One restaurant owner messaged him asking if he could clear her parking lot — and he showed up right away. She said, “This is what community looks like.”
Even city officials knew about it, saying they weren’t about to stop someone who was out there helping. Not an issue – I guess.
A simple act, a rented machine, and one man’s heart — sometimes that’s all it takes to dig a community out.
