Manchester Responds To Concert Attack With Beautiful Acts Of Kindness

The city of Manchester, England, united to help those affected by Monday night’s devastating terrorist attack at an Ariana Grande concert.

Following the attack, which left at least 22 people dead and 59 injured, residents banded together to offer free rides, accommodations, food, drinks and blood donations to first responders and victims of the blast.

Here are just a few of the heroic and generous acts of kindness:

Taxi drivers offered stranded concert-goers free rides out of the city.

As concert attendees fled Manchester Arena following the explosion, authorities shut down transportation networks  so security services could investigate the attack, which left people stranded. 

So taxi drivers turned off their meters and offered free rides.

A.J. Singh, a taxi driver in Manchester, is one of those drivers who helped out.

“I’ve had people who needed to find loved ones, I’ve dropped them off to the hospital, they’re not had any money, they’ve been stranded,” he told Channel 4 News.

“Manchester, we’re glue and we stick together,” he added.

A company called Street Cars Manchester also helped out.

Some social media users also reported that black cabs offered free rides throughout the night.

Residents, places of worship and hotels provided shelter for the night.

Manchester residents began using the hashtag #roomformanchester  shortly after the attack to offer free shelter to those in need.

Hotels and pubs near the venue also offered to take in people caught up in the attack.

Sikh temples also offered food and accommodations.

A rabbi brought police officers coffee and pastries.

Rabbi Shneur Cohen brought officers standing outside Manchester Arena some refreshments on Tuesday morning.

 Residents and restaurants offered free food and drinks.

Signs of solidarity spread across the city.

A charity offered free counseling to those affected by the attack.

People gave money and donated blood. 

The local newspaper Manchester Evening News  set up a JustGiving page,  which has raised more than $530,000 for families of victims.

Muslims for Manchester  also set up an online campaign to raise funds. 

Others flocked to blood banks to donate their blood . 

A Twitter user said merchandise vendors outside the arena tended to the victims, using T-shirts as bandages.