BCC Heroes of the Flood
Jill Reid
When Jill Reid wasn’t directly affected by the flood, she knew it was her time to help others.
“I live in Delhi with my boyfriend, Pat Mente, and we were lucky enough that we only had minor flooding. We were home just watching the news and kept seeing these devastating pictures and we wanted to do something,” said the Director of Publications for Broome Community College.
So, the couple loaded up their truck with nearly every tool they owned, along with bottled water, cleaning supplies, and even clothes for donations, “and literally just drove around looking for strangers to help. We had seen the devastation online and the weather channel, but when we got here it was just a different world. We just stared out the window,” she said.
People were kind of surprised, admitted Reid, when they asked complete strangers if they needed help. Some people assumed they were with the Red Cross. One older couple thanked them profusely for cleaning on their entire basement, and even sent them a long thank you note in the mail.
They tried to get to Pat’s hometown of Waverly but closed roads prevented them from reaching that location. Instead they wound up stopping in neighborhoods in Binghamton, Vestal, Port Dickinson and Chenango Bridge.
Reid says her volunteer work that day felt very natural. “It kind of meshes together with working at BCC,” she said. “Being part of the college, you feel really connected to the community. Employees are always trying to help out.”