ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. (WKBW) — In some places, the snow doesn't just slow people down; it can cut them off completely.
For Colden's Bread of Life Outreach Center, digging out makes access to food possible. A 2,000-pound food delivery was able to arrive after volunteers worked before sunrise to get to the building.
"If you look around, it was a two-man job here today, actually a three-man job," Bread of Life Outreach Director Cathy Geist said. "Someone cleared the roof off of the building over there."
Geist said that only a few families the pantry serves were able to visit this week because of the snow. She explained that volunteers delivered food to at least two families during the storm.
The pantry also keeps non-perishables stocked outside in a grab-and-go style pantry, open for everyone. Additionally, the center operates a thrift store, and proceeds are used for purchasing food.
Just down the road, the storm left others stranded. Snow was piled high in April Kopsa's driveway, enough to keep her home from going to work.
"I had my driveway completely plowed, my driveway looked great, so I thought I'd get out this morning and go to work, but yeah, winter had another idea," Kopsa said.
Standing next to the towering snow pile, she marveled at its height.
"It's wild, it's wild, I'm 5 foot 9," Kopsa said.
WATCH: Southtowns residents continue digging out after more lake-effect snow looms
In Hamburg, town officials say the storm impact hasn't been felt evenly across the region.
"We have one end of the town getting hit really, really hard with snow," Town of Hamburg Emergency Management Director Sean Crotty said. "Just be patient, everyone is doing the same thing, and not everyone is comfortable driving in these winter conditions."
Cleanup is now stretching into days, not just hours, as crews keep an eye on when the next storm might move in.
Across the Southtowns, the aftermath shows snow piled high and pushed to the edges of already narrow roads. Some side streets have been reduced to single lanes, and blowing wind continues to push snow back into cleared roads.
Officials say that while cleanup continues, they're closely monitoring when the next weather system could move into the area.
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