Buffalo resident offering those impacted by Hurricane Helene a safe place to stay
BUFFALO, NY (WIVB) -- Western New York continues to lend a hand after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc down south.
Now, a member of Facebook group "Bills Mafia Babes" is opening up the doors to one of her homes for anyone who might not have a safe place to stay.
Susan Cholewa is a resident of the Queen City and a big Buffalo Bills fan. Cholewa says she saw a few posts on the Bills Mafia Babes page about the Buffalo Bills helping those impacted by Hurricane Helene and it touched her on a personal level.
"In June, I was in Asheville, and we had done some hiking. It was my second time there," said Cholewa. "Having been there so recently, I felt very strongly about what was going on."
Cholewa made the decision to offer her support on the Bills Mafia Babes Facebook page. She rents out a home to people in Dunkirk located right on Lake Erie and is now offering anyone who might have been displaced from their home a place to stay and an opportunity to start over.
"I thought, 'I'm really blessed,'" said Cholewa. "If I can give someone comfort at such a terrible point in someone's life, I feel very lucky that I'd be able to do it."
Cholewa also says she knows a lot of Western New Yorkers have moved from the state down south to places like Florida, Tennessee and the Carolinas. She believes this could be the perfect opportunity for any Western New Yorkers to return back to the Queen City.
"I thought if someone was coming home, or wanted to come to their original home, but didn't think they could do it for whatever reason ... I thought if I could help them, why not?" said Cholewa.
Cholewa is not surprised at how WNY has stepped up even while being hundreds of miles away from the damage. She says the kindness comes simply from being from the city of good neighbors.
"I think people don't realize what we have here," said Cholewa. "In the sense of that kind of brotherhood or sisterhood. We do help each other."
If you're interested in learning more about the property Cholewa is offering, you can send an email to amherstst479@gmail.com.
Trina Catterson joined the News 4 team in 2024. She previously worked at WETM-TV in Elmira, a sister station of WIVB. See more of her work here.