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A McDonald’s in Upstate New York shelters more than 50 people during a Christmas blizzard. On the Friday before Christmas, employees of a Buffalo McDonald’s were closing up the restaurant when they realized that the weather had gotten so bad they weren’t going to be able to leave. Employees Jeffrey Spangler, Kristin Kosha and Amanda Kendall decided the best thing to do would be to ride out the blizzard inside the restaurant.
Knowing the restaurant would be a warm place to take refuge and that they had plenty of food, they extended an invitation to anyone who needed to get out of the storm. “We accepted the fact that we weren’t going home, so we might as well open up,” Kosha says. “We figured someone might need some help.” Pretty soon, the group sheltering from the storm inside the McDonald’s grew to more than 50 people, including a seven-month-old baby.
For two days, the employees made sure everyone was well fed and warm. “We fed them, had the coffees going [and] hot chocolates,” Kosha recalls. “Saturday we had the Bills game on. They chatted amongst themselves, mingled and we kept them fed.” And what could have been a tragic holiday for the people stranded in one of the worst winter storms the area has ever seen, ended up being a warm and welcoming Christmas gathering.
Source: WKBW