Wildwood Crest seeks volunteers to help shovel snow for neighbors

A southern New Jersey town is putting out a plea for volunteers after a snowstorm dumped more than a foot of snow on the area earlier this month.
The mayor of Wildwood Crest says that the town will need assistance with shoveling if another major snowstorm comes through. He is hoping to find volunteers ready to help.
“We started a new program here in the Crest. Actually, we started it last year, and we didn’t get a lot of volunteers,” says Mayor Don Cabrera. “The good news is we didn’t get a lot of snow here, but the snowstorm that hit on Jan. 3 of this year kind of brought that to our attention.”
Wildwood Crest is seeking volunteers willing to help shovel snow for their neighbors. The Jan. 3 snowstorm brought 13 inches of snow, which is not typical for the area.
“We have a lot of senior residents in the Crest and certainly those that are disabled that need assistance. I get a lot of calls from Public Works and just the municipal hall in general, making a lot of inquires asking if there’s anyone able to assist,” Cabrera says.
Volunteers must be at least 16 years old and must complete a training session with the Department of Public Works. Then they will be called in when the borough gets more than 2 inches of snow to help clear sidewalks and around cars.
The borough hopes that high school students will use this as an opportunity to get volunteer hours.
“A lot of the same kids, they need credits for whatever – varsity letter or National Honor Society or something – whatever they’re working on at school. So it is a good program as long as the parents are able to assist them and have the transportation to have them help us,” Cabrera says.
Anyone who wishes to volunteer or anyone who needs help with snow removal can reach out to the Wildwood Crest Department of Public Works.