By STACEY FITE AND FAITH SMITH
To Our Winter Warriors,
It is hard to fathom the intense work going on behind the scenes in the Truckee/Tahoe right now. There are unsung superheroes that have worked tirelessly in the dark cold nights of “Snowpocalypse 2017,” dealing with the floods, snow removal, and power outages. Often working in the elements with dangerous conditions, these workers show true grit in the selfless jobs they do. While Truckee/Tahoe moms and dads go crazy with their kids having endless snow days, the plow drivers, power linemen, Caltrans, CHP, emergency responders, utilities crews, and others are working at an intense pace to try and keep this area operational. Some residents in the area are still without power while linemen try to troubleshoot the outages.
“The folks who truly work those hard, thankless jobs, are those linemen, plow drivers, and mechanics,” stated Truckee Police officer Brad Beers, “They’re the ones I look up to and the ones that have really been breaking their backs to keep us all moving forward. They definitely deserve more credit.”
A lot of these crews are working overtime plus extra days to try and give area residents reprieve and relief. With a line up of storms out in the Pacific Ocean and a weather forecast with no end in sight, we all have to think about how we can support each other here in the Sierra Nevada.
That brings us to a conversation started between us — two strangers — on the Truckee/Tahoe people Facebook group. We’re both full-time moms, with full-time jobs, and we started chatting about how to say thank you to these men and women. It was evident that something should be done to show appreciation for the essential work crews battling the onslaught of storm systems pummeling Lake Tahoe and Truckee with flooding rains, ice, and snow. We started messaging each other and came up with the movement #truckeetahoepayitforward.
The concept is to create a simple platform where people can give appreciation for the work crews. With a few clicks a page was created on Jan. 12. The idea snowballed fast … very fast! In about a week the page has reached more than 18,000 people and has more than 500 likes.
The idea is this: local businesses sign up to do something to thank the workers in their own way, usually in the form of a gift card that can be used by service workers who stop by. We have a list of nearly 30 local businesses participating and it continues to grow, spanning from Truckee to Incline Village and down the Tahoe shoreline in Kings Beach, Carnelian Bay, Tahoe City, West Shore, and beyond. Businesses are offering everything from a quick treat, discounts on a meal, an adult beverage when they are off duty, or a massage after a hard day of work. All the workers have to do to access these gift cards is show a valid work ID or pay stub.
Donations to support these gifts are streaming in, from $1 to $1,000. Contributors may contact a business directly stating they want to donate to the Truckee Tahoe Pay It Forward gift card. If giving from afar, check our Facebook page to see how to give through a PayPal account.
For a list of businesses that are currently participating, more information about being a participating business, or to find who qualifies for these discounts and deals, visit Truckee Tahoe Pay it Forward on Facebook, on the About page. We are asking the community that you (yes you!) go talk to these guys and gals out there to make sure they know about this program to honor all the hard work they are doing out in our neighborhoods. We really want the favors to be used by these crews. Please remember every dollar counts and this is just a small grassroots effort to make this happen. To every person who has decided to get involved with this great act of kindness, thank you for paying it forward!
Info: facebook.com/truckeetahoepayitforward
~ Stacey Fite and Faith Smith are Truckee residents.
