'Paying it forward'

The City of Long Beach is asking for donations to benefit storm relief efforts in South Carolina after the region experienced severe flooding earlier this month.

Non-perishable food, clothing, household supplies and children’s items can be deposited all month long weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at City Hall and at the Recreation Center on the weekend. A special emphasis is being placed on food and children’s items. Officials said that Long Beach would do its best to “pay it forward” after so many donations came in from around the country in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. The city also collected donations at its Fall Festival on Oct. 10.

“We could not have gotten to where we are today without the help of volunteers and the donations that came in from all over the country,” City Council Vice President Fran Adelson said. “Because of that outpouring of support, we’re fortunate enough to be in the position to help those that helped us. We’re so grateful for anything we can do to pay it forward.” She added that the donations the city received after Sandy lifted the community’s spirits beyond their tangible benefits.

Many communities in South Carolina were inundated with water earlier this month during the approach of Hurricane Joaquin. Though the storm never made landfall, heavy rainfall in advance of the storm resulted in widespread damage across the state and continues to pose a threat to those communities.

“I think Long Beach is a great community and we went through a horrible period so we’re paying it forward,” Councilman Anthony Eramo said. “We understand very specifically what flooding does to a community.”

He added that as the city began making preparations for the collections, residents were already calling and asking how they could help. “It speaks to the character of our community and I think it’s something that we can all be proud of,” he said.

“There’s something about having complete strangers from across the country understanding what you’re going through and trying to help that is really wonderful,” Canals resident Kevin Reilly said. “Nobody really understands [flooding] until your stuff’s been out on the sidewalk.”

Reilly also noted that donations of bottles of water and clothing are likely to be coming in frequently, but what a community really needs after a storm are gift cards and other means of obtaining the more specific goods they require. Still though, he said it’s good to see Long Beach residents stepping up and helping a community in need.

“It’s a terrific way to go forward,” he said.