The day after the largest snowfall in Rhode Island history, the sun was shining on Providence as residents tried to move three feet of snow out of their driveways and sidewalks. But Ray Kiefaber was feeling under the weather, and outside, their Prius was buried three feet deep at Dexter Park.
They sent a message to a group chat of neighbors offering help after the storm.
“I’ve been sick for the past couple days so I’m unable to shovel my car out,” wrote Kiefaber. “Would someone be able to do that?”
Immediately, an anonymous user answered, “I can! Was just about to head out.”
Hundreds of people around the city this week are offering their snow shoveling skills to help elderly, sick and disabled neighbors. Organized through Signal, rag-tag groups of residents are clearing essential city infrastructure like sidewalks and bus stops. With the city’s plowing fleet overwhelmed by the historic snow, volunteers are putting their blizzard frustrations, and plastic shovels, into action.
The Blizzard of ‘26 left nearly 38 inches of snow in Providence on Monday and Tuesday, beating the previous two-day record snowfall set in 1978 by almost 10 inches. On Monday alone, 33.5 inches hit the city streets—almost matching the average snowfall for an entire winter in Providence.
“All of this is happening because of climate change. We’ve just had such huge extremes in Providence, between the massive snows as well as the freezing cold,” said Jackie Goldman, a health worker who is running for City Council in Ward 5. Scientists say climate change is causing more frequent and extreme winter weather events in New England. “We just do not currently have a city government or a state government that’s ready to grapple with the enormity of this.”
The City’s snow fleet, largely made of pickup trucks, got stuck in the drift along with emergency vehicles like ambulances and police cars. Providence Police resorted to using their armored vehicle the BearCat to keep essential workers moving. With the city government completely overwhelmed and the extreme weather piling on, residents like Goldman decided to join the grassroots response online.
“People working together, not as part of government, can often respond more directly and more quickly, and the shovel crews have people with deep-rooted and phenomenal organizing experience,” said Kate Schapira, local author of Lessons from the Climate Anxiety Counseling Booth. “At the same time, there’s a lot of disaster cleanup that can only be done at scale, and that means municipalities and states paying a lot of people to show up and work—enough that none of them have to hurt themselves—and to expertly operate machinery.”
The Signal group “labor of love” is acting as a hub for more than a dozen chats organizing shoveling efforts across the city, as well as Cranston and East Providence. Groups like the one Goldman started for the greater Mount Pleasant neighborhood are now filled with stories of people lending a hand to elderly neighbors and clearing paths to city fire hydrants.
“It’s just a neighborly thing to do,” said Laurel, an organizer with Food Not Bombs. Laurel shoveled the sidewalk of a bridge crossing Route 10 as dozens of pedestrians passed by in the slush on Broadway. “You don’t want to hear a story about someone getting hit by a car because they’re walking in the street, and it’s right down the road from you.”
Phil Mattes, an administrator behind “labor of love,” said the effort is a continuation from the last winter storm. After 17 inches of snow fell on Providence in January, residents complained over the “glacial pace of snow removal.”
Two weeks after the storm, Mattes and a group of about 15 people cleared a portion of the Woonasquatucket River Greenway on Kinsley Avenue for bikers and pedestrians. When this week’s blizzard rolled in, organizers decided to expand the effort citywide by spreading the word online through city listservs and social media.
“Somebody posted the groups on Reddit,” said Luke Buerer, a data scientist at Brown University. Buerer, a dedicated RIPTA rider, cleared paths to several bus stops along Westminster with snow drifts up to five feet high. Buerer is originally from South Carolina and first experienced a major Rhode Island blizzard in 2015. “I was just not prepared for that level of winter weather… Now, I’m a hardened Northerner.”
On the East Side, Daniel Morris checked his local Signal chat but ended up lending a hand to people he ran into on the street. Morris teamed up with a stranger to shovel the church lot where they parked their cars. Then, he helped an elderly neighbor clear a spot for his trash bins.
“He wound up falling down,” said Morris, a renter who sells construction equipment on a typical workday. Morris said the online organizing is likely missing older people who would not look on Reddit or Signal for help. “We have to be conscious of those who are struggling because they could be in danger if they’re trying to do it themselves.”
In contrast to this week’s pop-up efforts, the Summit Neighborhood Association has operated their Snow Brigade for more than 10 years. The brigade assigns 30 volunteers to more than a dozen neighbors in need, especially those with low-incomes. Snow Brigade organizer Sam Burgess said the program usually sends out volunteers a couple times a winter.
“This year, it’s just been snow after snow… Really a lot of need, but a lot of people are stepping up,” said Burgess, a culinary consultant and SNA board member. “It’s absolutely stellar, the community response.”
The City ramped up its snow removal efforts by mid-week, bringing in trucks from Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts and even Pennsylvania. With additional help from the Rhode Island National Guard, there were over 70 city trucks and more than 30 private contractors working to clear impassable roads on Wednesday. The Providence Journal reported Thursday that Mayor Smiley’s office is even finalizing a plan to pay shovelers to clear streets.
The City is asking people to report unplowed streets, impassable intersections or other safety hazards through 311.
Residents can also tap into Providence’s do-it-yourself spirit by visiting this Linktree to ask for shoveling help or lend a hand. Organizers are now asking for donations to buy more shovels, salt and snacks for volunteers.
“This is the kind of town where people generally have to do things for themselves,” said Dailen Williams, a musician and educator who shoveled sidewalks on Cranston Street. “All the things that are the most fun and the most interesting are all DIY anyway.”
Eric Halvarson is a City News Reporter for The Providence Eye.
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