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Looking For A Job? NYC Hiring People To Shovel Snow In Winter Storm Aftermath

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The winter storm and its aftermath have not stopped many people who have to get to work, and if you're looking for a job, New York City says it's hiring.

A pile of snow equals a pile of opportunity for people like Denzel Brown.

He usually works at McDonald's in between shifts with the New York State Guard, but that job is on hold.

"Once they lift the order and we can have a couple people come in and sit down, then maybe business should go back to regularly scheduled programing. But until then, we have to wait," Brown said.

In the meantime, he and hundreds of others across the city signed up with the sanitation department to work as snow laborers.

LINK: Check The Latest Forecast | Winter Storm Survival Guide

One group shoveled bus stops and crosswalks on the Lower East Side.

"Helping my community, of course," snow laborer Erick Santos said. "While you're at it, you're going to make an extra buck anyway, so why not?"

The city pays $15 an hour, hiring workers per diem after heavy snow falls.

"That's a great thing now, especially what we're going through because as you can see with the vast people that we have here, these are tough times and it helps them out in a special way," said Keith Mellis, assistant chief with the New York City Sanitation Department.

PHOTOS: Powerful Winter Storm Dumps Snow Across Tri-State Area

They're not the only ones grinding it out during this winter weather.

Samuel Encarnacion was making his Amazon/Whole Foods deliveries on foot instead of his usual bicycle.

"It's too dangerous to ride a bike with the trailer. You'd be carrying a trailer with a bunch of these bins," he said.

"And you dressed warm you said?" CBS2's Andrea Grymes asked.

"Yeah, layers. The key is layers," Encarnacion said.

RELATED STORY: New York City Schools Will Reopen For In-Person Classes Wednesday; Outdoor Dining Can Resume Tuesday Afternoon

At the new restaurant Pasta By Hudson in Chelsea, owner Brandon Fay and his staff worked straight through the storm, finding an opportunity to build up the business.

"When people realize that you're going to be here every day and you're going to open every day, they learn to trust you and they, like, just want to support you even more. You know what, rain, snow, we're gonna be here," Fay said.

In this pandemic economy, many people need all the help they can get when it comes to making a living.

As for snow laborers, it's not too late to sign up on the sanitation department website.

For more information, visit https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dsny/site/services/snow-response/work-with-us.

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