Most people prefer to stay safe inside when winter rears its ugly head. But not Jared Spofford or Jason Maddocks. The two Boothbay Region High School seniors have spent the last several nights plowing and shoveling driveways for the Leonard family. 

John Leonard, owner of John’s Lawns in Boothbay, has been unable to plow his customer’s driveways ever since his daughter Emma Leonard was severely injured in a car accident on February 11. 

The Leonard family have spent the past week at Maine Medical Center in Portland staying with Emma Leonard as she continues to recover. But on Monday, Feb. 17, John Leonard returned home to discover all his plowing accounts had been taken care of. 

“I just wanted to help out someone in my community,” Jared Spofford said. “It feels good.”

Spofford had worked for Leonard in the past, and said that Leonard is the kind of guy that’s always there for everyone else.

“Helping out the Leonard family was the least I could do,” Spofford said. 

Spofford and Maddocks went to work with John’s Lawns employee William Morton. Together they battled the Valentine’s Day storm that dropped a blanket of wet, heavy snow on the region. By 2 a.m. on February 14, bolts had snapped off one of the plows and a starter solenoid needed to be replaced. But by the time the storm had lifted, everything had been repaired and the gas tanks had been topped off. 

“It makes me feel so warm inside to know that I'm in such a nice town where everybody helps each other out,” Leonard said. “I wanted to give them money, but they wouldn't accept it.” 

Leonard has publicly thanked the community for the outpouring of support. He also mentioned that people like Eric Wood, Justin Wood and Ronnie Babcock have been unsung heroes, topping off his trucks with sand and making sure things have been taken care of behind the scenes.  

On February 18, the Midcoast was expected to pick up another 4-5 inches of snow. Spofford was already prepping the equipment, getting ready for another night behind the plow. Maddocks is in Florida currently, but Spofford said he wouldn’t hesitate to work tonight. On the same evening, Leonard said he was headed back to Portland to see his daughter, who is becoming more alert every day. 

“She's sleeping a lot but when she's awake she knows what's going on now. That's a big step,” Leonard said. “The other day I wasn't there, and she said she wanted to give me a hug. So I'm going back for my hug.”