Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The City of Buffalo continues to live up to the nickname "City of Good Neighbors" coming out of the blizzard.
Shoveling and donating essentials at Delavan Grider Community Center
Hundreds of people came near and far to the Delavan Grider Community Center Thursday morning to donate their time and energy to helping the residents of East Buffalo dig the snow out of the driveways and clear the crubs.
"We're out here helping dig out our neighbors in the city. There's a lot of elderly people that have had their driveway or their streets plowed, but actually can't get out of their own houses or people who need medication and essential supplies and we're out here trying to help do that for folks," said Patti Thomas with the Thurman Thomas Family Foundation.
Thomas says this was all done thanks to community efforts and local companies wanting to help, "Lydia Dominick [with Buffalo Gives] and I had a conversation last night about how we could get this done and we've had other organizations, here at Delavan Grider, Every Bottom Covered, Hope Rises and 26 Shirts all coming together, to add their resources and their connections and relationships so that we could assemble here today."
One shoveler was Briana Carr from Oakfield, who came to Buffalo to help out with her young son. Her work told her to take a day off to help, "My company, Elite Wheels of Buffalo gave us the day for us to be able to come out and help Buffalo Gives and shovel and help people get out of their homes to be able to get out from underneath the snow. We're about the community. We're about taking care of people. That's what my company does. We take care of people, make sure that they do what they need to do. So today, it's just about being a part of the community and helping people."
Gene, a resident of East Buffalo said this wasn't his first day out helping his neighbors plow and it won't be his last, I'm helping one of the elderly neighbors so they can get in and out of their home. Actually, during the course of the storm, the last six days, that's all I've really been doing is helping out a lot of the elderly neighbors and trying to make sure that they're safe," he says. "I would pray that sometime when I get up in age that someone would do it for me."
Gene says this storm was certainly worse than the Blizzard of '77, "This is worse. I feel sorry for the people we lost. This is probably the worst I've ever seen in my entire life and I'm 56 years old. For this, the way it happened to us, I pray that the next time we have a storm like this, that everybody takes heed of the warnings in advance and listen to everybody to radio stations, TV, everybody that says, 'Hey, if they tell you to stay home, stay home, don't go out.' Because as you know, we lost a few people out just in the snowbanks."
If you can't come out and help shovel this Thursday, the organizations are asking for donations, "We've mentioned that if you cannot actually physically come out and participate in the snow removal, please feel free to drop by essential needs. Here at Delavan Grider they're taking, winter clothing, bottled waters, gift cards, toiletries and all sorts of other items that are that are needed right now," Thomas says.
Buffalo Peacemakers distributing clothes and food on Broadway and Miller Ave.
The Buffalo Peacemakers and other volunteers are out on the corner of Broadway and Miller this Thursday giving out everything from bread, hams, turkeys, winter clothes and other essentials to the community after the snowstorm, who were also impacted as a result of the looting.
"We're going to be down here in effort to heal the community from the pain and tragedy, not only of the blizzard, but the effects of the looting. I can't emphasize this enough, that the looting as damaging as it was to the individual businesses is more damaging to the community that now don't have anywhere to go to get their goods and services that they need and so that's a tragedy around a tragedy that's taking place," said Pastor James Giles with the Buffalo Peacemakers.
The Peacemakers have also partnered with the National Grid, who are taking applications for those who may have lost food or goods during the power outages.
Tops Market have donated their goods and services as well.
Pastor Giles also mentioned establishing a fund to help those who need to fix their cars, furnaces or those running critically low on food to help aid the City in the aftermath, "The Buffalo Bills indicated they're going to send off some funds so we can help the community, help out those individuals that have been calling me because their furnaces, they don't have enough money to fix their furnaces. They don't have enough money to fix their vehicles, you know, so we'll have a fun to be able to help those communities, those individuals that may be experiencing problems."
"We may get a couple 100 over here today, We still are collecting items. So we're right here brought Broadway and Miller, anybody that wants to bring some things that kind of help in this effort," says Pastor Giles. 'Thank you to ALDI', they're giving us all this food that we're giving out and bread and meat that were given out to date."