Spirit of generosity will get us through long winter

Rock County’s recent heavy snow created headache and hardship for many people attempting to travel – and even depart their blocked garages and driveways.
This week’s Star Herald chronicles the efforts of professional snow movers and shares images of snow blowing, snow shoveling and snow piles of mammoth proportions.
The sheer volume of snow last week was the third largest in recent history, according to the National Weather Service, in terms of 24-hour accumulation for our area.
This is newsworthy, but another story riding the undercurrents of snow moving is the goodness and generosity of local residents and businesses along the way.
We saw neighbors helping neighbors as 3- to 4-foot snowbanks piled up beside sidewalks and driveways, and many brought their snowblowers and shovels to dig out the elderly and disabled.
Additional fire hydrants saw daylight after public officials put out a plea for area residents to “adopt a hydrant” in order to keep them free in case they’re needed for fire emergencies.
We heard stories of pickup drivers hooking to the bumpers of buried cars to pull them free, and in some cases, these same Good Samaritans connected jumper cables under car hoods to spark ignition.
And in rural Rock County, tractors and skid loaders equipped with plows and snowblowers crisscrossed country miles to help those who were having trouble clearing paths from homes and farmyards.
Meanwhile, those who couldn’t scoop or operate heavy equipment took to the kitchen, giving away hot food to workers laboring in cold conditions. Some donated money to support the restaurants.
“Our community has always been so supportive of us. I love to give back when I can,” said Jodi Reverts of Howling Dog Saloon where her staff gave away 29 meals. “I got the idea from other restaurants doing it. I chose to do it the days they did not.”
We caught snippets of stories like these in conversations and social media posts, and as Star Herald writers, we wished to put each of them in print.
At the end of the day, it’s simply worth stating — again — that we’re blessed to live in a community where people take care of each other.
Keep up the good work, Rock County. Winter is far from over, and this spirit of generosity is what will get us through until spring.