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As bitter cold hits the US Midwest, stories of kindness and charity have emerged.

The potentially life threatening cold has moved some to offer support to the region's most vulnerable people.

'Anonymous donor'

In Chicago, a group of rough sleepers living in a makeshift camp of tents were evacuated after one of about 100 propane tanks they were using to keep warm exploded.

After the explosion, the Chicago fire department contacted the Salvation Army to transport people to shelters.

However, as the charity began making arrangements, an anonymous donor stepped forward to cover the cost of putting the group of 70 up in a hotel.

A Salvation Army spokesman told the Chicago Tribune that "some wonderful citizen is going to put them up at a hotel for the rest of the week".

"Isn't that wonderful? At least they're warm and they're safe."

'Wall of love'

In Cleveland, Ohio, residents have been tying warm clothes to a "wall of love" for the city's homeless population.

'I'm so grateful'

On Monday, a family from Kansas City, Missouri, were featured on local news outlet Fox4.

Jessica Harvey, her husband and their seven children crowded around one eclectric heater as the boiler in their rented apartment was broken.

The family braced for the coming cold.

"I just hope we don't freeze, we don't get frostbite and that no none gets overly sick," Ms Harvey said.

The TV segment led to an outpouring of support from the family's community.

"So many people saw the story... and just started knocking on my door and reaching out to me on Facebook," Ms Harvey told the news station.

Local restaurants delivered hot meals, while one woman offered to pay for the family to move into a hotel during the cold snap.

Ms Harvey accepted the kind offer and surprised her children.

"I didn't tell them right off the bat that we were coming to the hotel," she said. "But once we got here, they were jumping up and down, just so excited.

"It's so wonderful what people are doing. I'm so grateful. This is all so overwhelming, but in a very good way."

'Snowmobile pharmacist'

Andrea Cusack, a pharmacist in Lake Odessa, Michigan, has come up with a creative way to make sure her customers receive their vital medication during the cold snap.

She enlisted the help of her 15-year-old son to drive the family's snowmobile in order to make her rounds.

Ms Cusack told local news station WILX: "I truly care about people and want to help them, and to see the response within the community, it's just overwhelming."

Mark Cusack shared a photograph of his wife and son on Facebook, where it was met with cheers of "awesome" and "incredible".

Mr Cusack wrote that it "appears we have a new addition to Lake Odessa Pharmacy's delivery service!"