McDonald's workers provided shelter and hot coffee to 50 people during the deadly bilzzard

As our world tackles adverse weather and climate conditions, there are some who are trying their best to help those in need. A deadly storm halted the northern US during the Christmas weekend. Several people were stranded and were unable to get to their families to celebrate, three employees of a New York McDonald’s also accepted this fact. Moreover, they decided to make the best of the situation and opened the store to stranded motorists, per Good News Network. They ended up providing shelter for up to 50 people during the Christmas weekend.

Nearby Buffalo and Amherst also received more than 40 inches of snow, and on Friday night, cops soon started dropping off people at their business on Sweet Home Road and Sheridan Drive. Kristin Kosha, one of the workers said, "We accepted the fact that we weren’t going home, so we might as well open up. We figured someone might need some help." Over 50 New Yorkers sought refuge in their business, which was known as the "Sweethome McDonald's" for the street on which it was built, against their expectation of only a dozen people.

Kosha told WKBW, "We fed them, and had the coffees and hot chocolates going. Saturday we had the Bills football game on, and they chatted amongst themselves and mingled—while we kept them fed." Even a baby as young as seven months old was taken in by the team. People came from all over Western New York. She said, "You don’t really think about it at the time. It’s just common sense. You do what you have to do. You have a warm building and no one is in it…why would you not open it up?"

Jeffrey Spangler said, "We were more worried about helping people and making sure everyone else was okay, and being prepared for what possibly could happen next. We wanted to be there and ready to help them." Over the Christmas weekend, dozens of tales of people helping people were featured because a bad weather pattern coincided with the occasion that honors human kindness. 

While elsewhere, a group of strangers found shelter by breaking a window and entering a school, before leaving a note asking for forgiveness for their impromptu lock-in, a resident of Buffalo opened his home up to a tour bus of 10 South Koreans when they got stuck and knocked on his door asking for shovels. A barber from New York named Craig Elston also had Christmas plans with his family. The plan, however, did not work out since he was trapped in his barbershop in Buffalo after the terrible snowfall. However, he made the most of the situation and opened his shop to people looking for shelter from the storm. He provided warm food, socks and turned up the heat. 

At the barbershop, those seeking safety were able to make phone calls to loved ones and charge their phones. Even though Elston's firm is often perceived as having a "pretty big" space, over the holiday weekend not only was it crowded but also chilly as some 30 more customers joined him inside to wait out the storm. 

This is a developing story, and we’ll update you as we learn more. Information about the Buffalo snowstorm is swiftly changing, and Upworthy is committed to providing the most recent and verified updates in our articles and reportage. However, considering the frequency of developments, some of the information/data in this article may have changed since the time of publication. You can check for information and seek help at Buffalo Blizzard Resources.