A Plum man has formed a network of volunteers, Plum Snow Angels, to shovel the sidewalks and driveways of elderly and disabled residents in the borough.
When floodwaters ripped through Plum in 2019, Ric Vigno and friends traveled through the borough and helped elderly and disabled residents throw away “half of their lives,” he said.
Vigno, 43, never forgot the sense of purpose of doing the heavy lifting for those residents.
“There were a lot of older and disabled people who couldn’t do the work themselves,” he said. Then Vigno happened upon an elderly neighbor who fell and was lying in a walkway. He was surprised that others didn’t help the woman.
“During the flood, people helped each other then,” he said.
Vigno said he wanted to do something positive in his community. “I thought ‘who are the most vulnerable?’ It’s the elderly.”
Snow shoveling is a good cause: About 11,500 people go to the emergency room nationwide annually with snow-shoveling injuries. In the winter, people aged 55 and older are four times more likely to suffer cardiac-related symptoms than younger adults, according to AARP.
A manager for Caterpillar and a single dad, Vigno knew he had enough time to shovel a couple of driveways. “It’s not a huge thing to do but it will make a couple of residents’ day.” He posted his shoveling idea on Facebook about two weeks ago, dubbing his group of volunteers as Plum Snow Angels after the Pittsburgh Snow Angels.
Vigno now has about 32 people willing to volunteer, including families.
He is working with the Plum Community Center to help identify residents who need help. Vigno is also consulting the borough on security requirements to ensure everyone’s safety.
The volunteer shoveling service will benefit the seniors and the center’s Meals on Wheels program, said Karen Hochberg, executive director of the Plum Community Center.
“We’re very excited that someone was picking up the ball to do this,” she said.
Meals on Wheels volunteers can identify home-bound seniors that need someone to shovel their walkways, Hochberg said. “This will also help our Meals on Wheels volunteers by keeping them safe as they navigate snowy walkways to deliver food.”
In the months ahead, Vigno and his volunteers will monitor the weather with shovels standing by. “I’m eager to get out there and help people,” he said.
Anyone wishing to volunteer can send an email to plumvolunteerservice@gmail.com. Residents or seniors’ loved ones in need of snow shoveling can send an email to plumsnowangels@gmail.com or call the Plum Community Center at 412-795-2330.
