Every day across America, there are countless stories about people helping those who are less fortunate than themselves. Individuals and companies alike often give money, donate products or services, or volunteer their time to raise money for worthy causes. But sometimes, the most caring gesture that someone can perform for someone in need is to complete a thankless chore for them.
And many people would agree: cleaning your gutters is indeed a thankless chore.
Of course, there are plenty of companies who will gladly take that arduous task off your hands for a fee, including:
- G-Vac, which provides gutter cleaning services to customers all across the country. Last month, G-Vac’s Long Island office decided to help its community by offering to clean the gutters of the Little Shelter Animal Rescue and Adoption Center in Huntington, New York. The business has pledged to continue providing this service annually to the shelter – all at no cost.
- P.J. Fitzpatrick, Inc., which also offers window, door, and siding services to customers in Delaware, Maryland, southern New Jersey, and southeastern Pennsylvania. Last summer, P.J. Fitzpatrick enlisted some 20 volunteers to clean the gutters of three homes in Delaware. Each of these residences were occupied by persons with multiple sclerosis, a disease which can make household tasks like gutter cleaning extremely difficult or impossible.
- Kaiser Permanente in Atlanta (whose employees, by the way, don’t clean gutters for a living). Members of the firm’s electronic medical records department, HealthConnect, partnered with the Community Service Board in DeKalb for a day of service this spring. Volunteers descended upon a group home in Tucker — which houses women with developmental disabilities — and proceeded to clean the building’s gutters, as well as perform other much-needed spring cleaning tasks.
Of course, you don’t have to be a company to be a Good Samaritan gutter cleaner.
- VINE Faith in Action is an interfaith volunteer group in south-central Minnesota which aims to assist senior citizens and individuals with disabilities in their community. As part of this mission, the organization plans to visit several homes throughout the summer and clean out their gutters.
But arguably the most selfless act of gutter cleaning was provided by…
- Selassie Ibrahim. She is a well-known actress in her native Ghana and across much of the African continent. Last month, she showed her altruistic side by going to Nima, a suburb of the Ghanaian capital Accra, to clean out the clogged gutters in the city’s market area. And Ibrahim did not simply supervise a team of volunteers — she was seen scraping away muck and debris herself.
It may not be the most glamorous act of charity one can perform. But cleaning out someone else’s gutters is sure to elicit heartfelt thanks and gratitude.
Image: tucker.patch.com
