Absolutely Colorado: Woman pays it forward and feeds sanitation truck drivers
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Being a sanitation truck driver can be a thankless job. But one family in northeast Colorado Springs shows us how a simple act of kindness can go a long way.
Welcome to Ariahna Whiteside's kitchen. Where the burgers are sizzling.
"I love cooking in general, so it is fun for me to be able to do this," says Ariahna Whiteside.
The menu might change, but the intentions remain the same.
"Sometimes it's more creative with a here's an actual meal, or hey I've got a couple snacks in my pantry, or here's a muffin I made last night," says Whiteside.
About a year ago, Whiteside started feeding her sanitation truck drivers.
"The inspiration came from too much trash. We moved into this place and had a bunch of boxes, garbage bags, and too much to where it didn't fit in the can. I felt bad one day, and I just went out there and put some energy drinks out on the trash can and introduced myself, and said, 'Hey I'm sorry, it might be like this for a couple weeks while unpacking.' And it has just turned into a weekly thing."
And now every Friday it's something Whiteside looks forward to. She says it's not just about giving back, but also teaching her young daughters gratitude...for the garbage guys.
"I come by and they do that and I really appreciate it so much," says Keoni Kaneshiro, a sanitation driver with Apex Waste Solutions. "Not a lot do that for me, but this particular one, yes, they are really good to us."
Kaneshiro says he always looks forward to this house, where he hauls away more than just the trash!
"Great, I ate that sandwich and I got pretty full," says Kaneshiro.
Whiteside says paying it forward, no matter how big or small, reflects back on us.
"Even in hard times, you know we are a single family income and have been for a really long time," says Whiteside. "It doesn't matter, I am still going to give what we have."
These hand-decorated paper bags are a good reminder that the small things in life are the ones that matter most.
"I just wanted to keep it going because they are often overlooked and doing all this hard labor every day," says Whiteside. "I want to make sure they have someone who is taking care of them a little bit."
And that no moment of kindness should ever go to waste.
"Or they have a kindness act been brought on them, and then they act kind towards someone else in any regard throughout the day," says Whiteside.
Whiteside says it's been rewarding to see her neighbors start to leave out treats for their drivers as well. She also feeds the homeless and is looking to expand that and give back even more in the future.
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