North Texans share warm stories of neighbors who have helped them
Friends, neighbors and even total strangers are stepping up to help those North Texans who have been without power, heat and sometimes water for days.
Ashley McSwain and her 9-year-old daughter, Trinity, haven't lost power at their Forney home. So they decided to cook for folks in the area who have. Dozens of people have taken them up on their offer via a post on the Facebook group called "We Are Forney."
"They were so grateful. It warmed our hearts. It felt good, and it's teaching them how to give back as well," she said. "Us and another mom in the neighborhood started cooking and delivering meals as well."
Tony Drewry drives a 4x4 Nissan Titan. He's running errands for folks who can't get out themselves.
"It’s something we should all be doing looking out for each other. It goes a long way," he said. "I've got a couple of messages in my inbox right now. We'll find out what else we're into today."
Then there's Jon Bonnell, the owner of Bonnell's in Fort Worth. Most of his restaurants are closed, but he still got to work. He made sandwiches for 600 people staying at the Presbyterian night shelter that was without power overnight.
"They just needed volume food. I said, ‘Alright. If you need dinner tonight, we'll make that happen,’" Bonnell said. "A lot of people brought their kids. We got 20 people together at 4 p.m. and made 1,300 sandwiches in under an hour and got them over to everybody last night."
Viewer Mallory Davis said she’s had no power for 16 hours at her place in Arlington. But her neighbors Ben and Melanie let her family come over to warm up by the fire and enjoy a hot breakfast.
Stephanie Abbott said her daughter and her new husband delivered free firewood in Princeton even though the couple hasn’t had their own water on for days and has only had intermittent electricity.
Jennifer Harmon helped feed the community in Forney. She made several batches of spaghetti to feed anyone who need a hot meal and planned on cooking more once it was all gone.
Ann Garvin from Hillcrest packed bags of food and water for neighbors, strangers and anyone who saw her post on social media. But she didn’t stop there. She also gathered blankets and firewood for anyone who she could help out as well.
The North Texas Jeep Club has offered to team up with a couple of other groups to give free rides to and from work for local first responders and healthcare workers. They said they’ve already given tons of rides out. Anyone who needs a ride should call 1-888-380-0135.
Tuesday night, Ernie’s Pit Barbecue in Greenville extended a timely offer of firewood. The restaurant may be out now, but it’s just one of many businesses that are doing their part to help.
Art Mory in Mansfield said he noticed a stream of water cutting through the snow in the gutter in his daughter’s neighborhood, so he and his daughter traced it to a neighbor’s house five doors down. They eventually found an irrigation pike that was busted so they reached in the water, found the master cut-off valve and shut the water off for a total stranger. They said it took a series of calls to eventually track down the very appreciative owner who happened to be vacationing in South Carolina.
Ashley Nicole Odom, like a lot of people, was taken in by a family member during this time. She said her sister and brother-in-law were sweet enough to have her family including their three dogs in their home where they already have four people living.
These are just a few of the North Texans going above and beyond to help ease the suffering.