Food truck fire interrupts enlistment effort for SNA’s snow-shoveling project

Santa helps Kerry Kohring, SNA vice president, publicize the snow brigade at the Hope Street holiday festival Sunday. Note the food truck banner behind them.

The same banner flies above the smoke after the food truck caught fire and onlookers feared the propane tanks inside would explode. They didn’t and the fire department got everything under control.

SNA’s attempt to get people to sign up for its neighborhood snow-shoveling brigade at the Hope Street holiday festival Sunday came to an early end when a nearby food truck caught fire and threatened to explode.

Fortunately, Providence firefighters were able to control the blaze in the Citizens Bank parking lot and the propane tanks in the vehicle didn’t blow up, but not before SNA folded its information table and quickly evacuated.

The Sunday event marked the beginning of the Hope Street merchants’ holiday festivities, which were scheduled to continue each weekend until Christmas and Hanukkah. On Dec.11, SNA was to contribute to the neighborhood celebrations by having its annual Caroling For A Cause, in which residents contribute cash or peanut butter to singers working the streets – all to benefit St. Raymond’s food pantry.

But on the Hope Street opening Sunday, SNA was able to sign up one volunteer for the shoveling program before fire intervened. The snow effort pairs people willing to dig with people needing help digging out from snow storms. The volunteers work in teams, trading off two-week shifts so no one has to commit for the entire winter.

If you would like to volunteer, would like assistance or know someone who needs help, please email snasnow@gmail.com. In addition, SNA frequently gets requests for information from neighbors who want to hire shovelers and is putting together a list of available people. If you would like to appear on such a list, email the address above. The results will be forwarded to those inquiring or posted on the SNA web site or Facebook. Your business name, contact name, phone number and email address are needed.