It wasn’t all bad
■■ A Connecticut teen’s heroism saved a family from a burning car. Justin Gavin, 18, was on a walk when he saw an SUV on fire. He immediately ran to the vehicle, which had rolled to a stop. He helped the mother out of the car first, then opened the back door and pulled out her three kids, ages 1,4, and 9, moments before the flames engulfed the car. “I just felt like if I was in that situation, I would want somebody to help me out,” Gavin said. “I guess my instincts took over.”
■■ When a North Dakota farmer had a heart attack, his neighbors teamed up to help him harvest his crops. While Lane Unhjem was harvesting his wheat and canola, the combine caught fire. Unhjem went into cardiac arrest and was rushed to the hospital. While he was recovering, 60 farmers showed up at his place, determined not to let his crops go to waste. With 11 combines, six grain carts, and 15 tractor-trailers, the group harvested over 1,000 acres of his crop in just seven hours. “You help your neighbors out when they need it,” family friend Jenna Binde said, “and don’t expect anything in return.”
■■ Elias Aviles was used to working hard at his taco truck, but when the pandemic hit, hard work wasn’t enough. One day, Taqueria El Torito only brought in $6. When his daughter Giselle, 21, found out, she posted a plea on Twitter. The next day, her tweet had garnered 2,000 retweets. When the Humble, Texas, taco truck reopened on Monday, a line of customers was waiting for it—some had showed up as early as 6 a.m. It was so busy, Aviles had to shut down twice to restock ingredients. “It feels amazing, because I was just trying to just help him,” his daughter said.