Some neighbors make you question humanity, while others restore your faith in it. For every nightmare neighbor, there’s a Good Samaritan ready to lend a hand. Take, for instance, this one man who went viral on TikTok for doing a good deed, and he wasn’t even aware he was being filmed.
TikTok user Jamie Pfau (@jamiepfau) from Winnipeg, Canada, shared a video showing her husband Kevin shoveling snow on the sidewalk. It was taken from the window of their condo, and Jamie explained that Kevin was distressed because of the accumulating snow. There’s a Safeway store right across the street, and he saw some of their condo neighbors — mostly senior citizens — slipping on the ice on their way to get groceries.
Concerned for their neighbors’ safety, Kevin borrowed a shovel from the condo caretakers to clear a path to Safeway. When they figured out what he was going to do, however, Kevin was told that there were contractors hired to do the job, and they couldn’t allow him to continue because of liability issues. Not to be deterred, Kevin was able to get his own shovel and continued his work. Jamie said that the video was being filmed an hour into her husband’s shoveling. “When you married a gem who cares about everyone,” she added on the video.
Jamie’s video quickly went viral, with 1.9 million views and more than 240,000 likes. Thousands commented on the video, with many saying that Jamie married a “good one.” Another user said, “As the saying goes ‘real heroes don’t wear capes.’ He has made my day.” Another added, “No act of kindness is ever wasted.”
Jamie posted an update video, this one featuring Kevin as she tells him that he has gone viral. Kevin is lying down on a couch, initially hiding his face from Jamie. She then tells him that she recorded a video of him shoveling the snow and that it went viral, to which Kevin replies, “No it didn’t.” Kevin was reserved in his answers, only listening to what Jamie was saying. That was until Jamie said that department store Canadian Tire was giving him a snow blower. Kevin reacted in pure shock, saying with a smile, “What?! What are you talking about?” “The anxiety, denial, and shock were equal parts genuine and hilarious,” Jamie captioned the video.
However, it didn’t end there. Kevin’s simple act of kindness during the holiday season made it to the local news. He and Jamie were featured in a City News segment, where they were interviewed about the TikTok video. Kevin said that he just wanted to clear a safe path for seniors to walk on. Jamie, one the other hand, didn’t think the video would go viral. She just thought it was amusing to take a video of her husband shoveling snow. “I think especially for the holidays you got to to spread the cheer and love that’s what we are trying to do,” Kevin added. The news clip also showed Jamie and Kevin getting their brand new snow blower from Canadian Tire.
A few days later, Jamie shared another TikTok video, this time with Kevin using the snow blower to clear a path to Safeway. She said her husband “adores” his new equipment, and she expressed her heartfelt gratitude for all the support they have received. “So much safer. Super proud of him,” Jamie wrote.