MEMPHIS, Tennessee — With thousands of Memphians still without power and thousands more still cleaning up the mess following last week's ice storm, out of state and local volunteers are filling the void - free of charge.
It carried extra weight for those on a budget and feeling hopeless, until the trucks arrived.
Tree by tree, service call by service call, volunteers were on the move Wednesday, crisscrossing Memphis to help those in need, for free.
"Oh I think it's wonderful because I wondered who I was going to call. How I was going to get it out of my yard," one Memphian told ABC24.
Out of state workers from the organization Samaritan's Purse and local volunteers are clearing out and piling up trees and other debris, helping remove a major stress for Memphians like Frazier Weeks.
"I'm so grateful, so grateful that they would take the time and they would come and do this for us, because we really didn't what we were going to do," Weeks said.
She shared that gratitude at a time when tree removal work for many Memphians is either booked up, too costly, or both.
"It means everything because we knew of one tree guy but we would have had to pay, you know, a little by little," Weeks said.
That's why the volunteer work couldn't come soon enough with debris, downed lines, and a knocked out utility pole blocking Weeks' street, six days after the winter storm.
"It's just been a mess," Weeks added.
Now that the mess is much more manageable, Weeks said the volunteer work restored her faith in the kindness provided by strangers
"Just don't give up hope because there are people out there that are willing to help you and won't turn their back on you," Weeks said.
Wednesday, those with Samaritan's Purse said they had received around 70 debris calls.
Volunteers are hopeful others will assist with half day or full day volunteering shifts this weekend to help cut down on that checklist of calls.
Anyone interested in volunteering can call 901-237-4678.
Anyone in need of assistance with damage to roof or trees/limbs down can call 901-275-9634.