Something Good for a Change

For all the kvetching we do, it's time we showcased something positive here for a change.

A recent local news story brought attention to the plight of some elderly gardeners in Hazelwood. The men have had a vegetable garden for over 40 years on a plot of land near their homes. On Sunday, they discovered that vandals had trashed the garden, destroying many of the 400 tomato plants & almost all of the 300 pepper plants they've painstakingly cultivated since early this year.

Thanks to the publicity of the newspaper story, the outpouring of volunteers & donations has touched everyone that's heard the tale, most importantly the victims.

The men have received anonymous cash donations & calls from people who want to volunteer time, money or materials to help rebuild the garden. The newspaper was also inundated with phone calls & emails from readers that wanted to help.

In yesterday's follow-up story, the victims could not stress their gratitude enough. They believe that maybe this bad thing happened to make them realize & appreciate the extent of goodness & kindness that exists in the world. That's a remarkable lesson to be learned from something so awful.

Additionally, they're discouraging donations of any sort & instead asking people to give that money to time to a charity. This is a story from which we can all learn. It's the kind of thing that reassures your faith in mankind & makes you proud of your neighbors. We should all be so lucky as to make this kind of difference in someone else's life.