The Snow Angels program in Belleville is still in need of volunteers for the winter.
Snow Angels is a neighbourhood program that allows people who need help shovelling snow from their driveways and walkways to connect with volunteers in their area.
While it is not a City of Belleville program, the city’s Accessibility Department helps facilitate the program locally.
The program began in London, Ontario in 2015 and has spread to other communities.
The Accessibility Department’s Nicole Yantzi says those who need help might include older adults, people with disabilities or someone with an injury.
Many of those people are on limited incomes and can’t afford to hire someone.
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“You can imagine if you’re stuck, I’m sure some of us have already been stuck inside snow sometime in our life, but you can imagine the emotions, right? The fear, the isolation, anxiety over missed appointments. And for these individuals, this is a common reality.”
Both potential volunteers, or those needing assistance, can register at snowangelscanada.ca.
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“The person who’s looking for a volunteer can look in a certain radius around them. So let’s say 5 km. And in that 5 km it will list the volunteers that are available. And then what they do is they send a quick email, hi, I’m looking for help. Can you help?”
Please note that you must have an email address to register.
If you do not have one, consider asking a friend or family member for help or contact Yantzi at City Hall 613-967-3200 ext 3502.
Once a person in need has made contact with a Snow Angel volunteer, they can then decide on the best way to contact each other.
Yantzi says teenagers are welcome to volunteer for the Snow Angels program.
They should check with their school guidance counsellor to ensure the time qualifies for their required volunteer hours.