Rams in the Thicket: Good Samaritans in Olney
The snowstorm negatively impacted many residents throughout Olney. Although our city had minimal resources such as snowplowing side streets, parking lots and driveways, we did have a “ram in the thicket” as mentioned in Genesis 22:13-14, “Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
The Lord did provide for us by touching the hearts of people in the community who extended a helping hand to the ones who did not have anyone to drop off supplies or pull their vehicle out of a snowdrift. I pause to thank the good Samaritans who assisted me while I was stuck in the snow at the office, when I fell outside the office and when I was stuck in my driveway trying to get to the office. (They say the news must go on, but come on--really?)
I am genuinely grateful for the Olney ISD staff who stopped to “unstuck” my car, making them late for a meeting. (Sorry, Dr. Roach). I’m grateful to Jason Pack for weathering the storm to deliver groceries to me. Jason not only assisted me, but he also helped a multitude of residents throughout Olney and his employees.
The Stewart’s employees had wonderful things to say about Jason.
“Jason Pack has gone beyond the call of duty. He has gone out and scraped our parking lot for our customers. He has picked up the employees for their safety and taken them to and from work. He has delivered groceries to people. He scraped my sidewalk, and he helped when my car got stuck. He is a great boss,” Melissa Partin said.
Shannon Dillion said, “Jason has always been nice to me since I’ve worked at Stewart’s for the past 19 years. He has picked me up for work, and he has taught me so much.”
Those of us who have interacted with Jason would agree that he goes beyond the call of duty.
“When my daughter got sick, Jason referred me to a doctor, and because of his referral, she was diagnosed properly. He lets me bring her to work when I do not have a baby sitter, and he will hold her while he’s working. I don’t know any other job that would allow you to do anything like that,” Faith Robertson said.
The community showered the Stewart’s employees with lots of kudos for coming through during the storm. Also, many were grateful for the plowing that Lonnie Hope did behind the scenes. Todd Peebles, the store manager at Allsup’s, said, “Many people don’t know about the hours Lonnie put in behind the scenes without asking for a dime. He came here to the store and scraped the Allsup’s parking lot so that our customers could get in and out safely. He deserves a citizen’s award for his labor.”
And it is only fair that I mention the people who passed by without stopping to lend a hand. It is nearly impossible to understand why some people have no interest in helping others. All we can do is be thankful for the people who assist us in our time of need. Many people believe that some do not help because they want to avoid liability. There are Good Samaritan laws in 50 states that protect people who give reasonable assistance to those who are injured, ill, in peril or incapacitated. However, please keep in mind that a Duty to Rescue law requires people to help and holds them liable if they fail to help someone in need. Thankfully, many in Olney have a heart of service.