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Shovel-wielding strangers approach cars and houses in St. John's — with kindness

Organized by Project Kindness, a group of people hauled out the shovels to free cars and driveways from the snow.

About 10 people got together to help shovel snow Saturday

"Many hands make light work," said Hasan Hai, who organized Saturday's community shovelling initiative. (Marie Isabelle Rochon/CBC)

The kindness of strangers may not be able to melt away the snow, but it can certainly clear it away. Some of it, anyway.

A group of about 10 people gathered in downtown St. John's on Saturday morning to help clear away some of the snow for folks who may not be able to clear it themselves after a two-day blizzard buried the city in 46 centimetres of snow earlier this week and a new storm set to bring 40 millimetres of rain and high winds moves in.

Mark White was out on Saturday morning with a shovel, trying to clear out cars and driveways for people who might need a hand. (Marie Isabelle Rochon/CBC)

"Some people just can't get out to do it, some people are probably away ... and when they come back, hopefully now they'll see that their car is shoveled out, or their driveway. Anything to do to help," said volunteer Mark White.

The event was organized by a group called Project Kindness, but White said he and his fellow snow-shovelling Samaritans were joined by a few people who just happened to be passing by.

"We had an extra shovel so we passed off the shovel to them and even they jumped in to help us."

About ten people got together to shovel people out Saturday morning after a two-day blizzard. (Marie Isabelle Rochon/CBC)

And that's exactly what Hasan Hai, the founder of Project Kindness, hopes will happen with every good deed the groups organize.

"I started doing very small things because I didn't know what impact it could have, I'm just one person. So I did a small thing and then I did a slightly bigger thing and then it grew and grew. And I realized how much potential and how much power I had as just one individual doing things. And then I wanted to help other people realize that as well," he said.

Hasan Hai is the founder of Project Kindness. (Marie Isabelle Rochon/CBC)

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