Five years ago, Mathew Lohnes bought a van so he could drive his family and friends around in comfort. However, the generous Maritimer has been doing more than driving in style, he’s been helping those in need.
It all began a few storms ago when Lohnes saw on social media that many people were stranded and needed a hand getting around.
Now, he has taken time off from his position as president of Dominion Diving and as a sub robotics engineer, and is driving the streets of Halifax helping those stranded in the snow.
It started first with friends and then friends of friends and has expanded to anyone who needs a hand.
“I was picking up care workers for older folks, people from different shelters,” says Lohnes.
Lohnes cruises the streets from 5:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m., providing lifts free of charge.
Vicki Reece works as a lab tech at the MacKenzie Building in Halifax. She’s just one of the people that would not have been able to get to work if it weren’t for Lohnes.
“Normally, I would take the bus in, but unfortunately they're off and there's just too much snow to shovel so I can't get my car out. So I wouldn't have been able to get in if Matt hadn't picked me up,” says Reece.
Nicole Bourque lives in Porter’s Lake, N.S. and works at the Kent in Dartmouth. She says, for her, Lohnes’ assistance is more than just a free ride.
“I would have had to call in sick,” says Bourque. “I would have lost a day’s pay.”
Lohnes says it has been a great experience and he has even gotten to reconnect with some old friends like Reece.
“Almost 20 years ago, gives us time to talk and say hi. It's been that long since we've seen each other, that's the good part of it,” says Lohnes.
When their work day is done, Lohnes returns to pick them up, with full roundtrip service.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Rick Grant
