Gravenhurst grocery store owner hands out food and drinks to stranded drivers in historic snowfall

Jesse Grimes’ usual 10-minute commute to work turned into a two-hour ordeal on Sunday morning as he inched through a blizzard that blanketed Gravenhurst, Ont., in 140 centimetres of snow. On route, he passed a lineup of 18-wheeler trucks stuck at the Highway 11 off-ramp near Bethune Drive, close to the Sobeys grocery store Grimes owns and operates. 

“The firefighters, the police, the snow plow drivers, they’re all doing something to help. I just asked myself, What can I do?” Grimes says. When he finally arrived at his store, which had been closed due to power outages in the area, he sprung into action. Grimes stocked up on food and drinks and headed back into the storm to hand out the goods to the trapped motorists. 

Grimes says there were more than 100 trucks stopped. “I walked up to every single truck, handing out clementines, bananas, croissants, and even some sweets. You have to include sweets,” he says. Snow had piled too heavily at the off-ramp for large trucks to navigate, but Grimes’ Dodge Ram pickup truck—which he bought just a few months ago when his old Honda Civic died—was able to reach people, some of whom had been stuck for more than 30 hours.

The truckers were very grateful, says Grimes, especially since most stores and nearby restaurants were closed. That day, the Town of Gravenhurst declared a state of emergency. “There was nothing open for these guys. They were literally stranded there overnight in the chilly temperatures. A lot of them were running pretty low on diesel as well,” Grimes said. 

One particular interaction with a driver stood out to Grimes. “Probably the 15th or 20th guy I went up to, I tried to offer him a bunch of stuff, and he said to me, ‘This is so nice what you’re doing, and thank you so much, but I want it to go to someone that needs it more than I do.’ ” Grimes says he was moved by the encounter: “When I heard that, it was pretty touching.” 

Word of Grimes’ heroism quickly spread online, with locals sharing photos and posting words of encouragement to celebrate his act of kindness. On Facebook, user Sarah Shields wrote, “Amazing. He is always so friendly to everyone at the store as well.” 

“Thank you Jesse for all the things you do for our community. This is just one example of your love and kindness,” wrote Debbie Fee Mair. One person shared that they’d seen him at Sobeys the following day, asking people in line if they had access to the essentials they needed.

Days later, Grimes received a call of appreciation from the owner of a large trucking company in Sault Ste. Marie. “He called me crying. He thanked me for what I did and told me those were some of his employees that I helped.”

And Grimes’ community spirit didn’t stop there. When power was finally restored and it was time for him to open his grocery store again, he drove around to pick up some of his snowed-in employees so they could safely get to work. 

Reflecting on the eventful past few days, Grimes says he was reminded of a hockey mantra he learned when he was young. “The number one thing coaches teach you is to never give up.” And that’s exactly what he did.

“I’m always asking myself how I can be a better person today, tomorrow, and the next day.” 

Thanks, Jesse!

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