Yorktown Man Leads Effort to Help Hurricane Victims
By Rick Pezzullo
As a detective with the New York City Police Department, Steve Reid of Yorktown said he had “a front row seat” to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City, an experience that ended his career.
He has been searching for a meaningful purpose since, and he found it following another catastrophic event, Hurricane Sandy, which devastated his mother’s 45-year home in Long Island.
“Nobody saw this coming. She had four feet of water and no insurance. Her home is completely gutted. There’s nothing left,” Reid said. “If you haven’t seen it with your own eyes, you don’t know how bad it is. It’s really bad.”
Reid has been helping his mother try to rebuild, along with others, but also wanted to reach out to the community at large. With the assistance of friends and local businesses, Reid organized “Operation Sandy Toy Drop,” and this past weekend delivered more than 2,000 toys to needy families in Long Beach, Long Island and Breezy Point, Queens.
On December 8, Cub Scout Pack 38 Den 3, which includes Reid’s sons Kieran, 9, and Collin, 6, wrapped all of the collected gifts at Valley Towing & Transporting in Yorktown, where the Mohegan Volunteer Fire Department stopped by with Santa Claus.
“People have really come together. My faith in humanity has been restored,” Reid said. “I didn’t go out and buy 2,000 toys. I didn’t wrap 2,000 toys. It’s not me. There’s no I in team. It’s everyone. It’s awesome.”
Some businesses that participated in “Operation Sandy Toy Drop” were Gymnastics City in Cortlandt, Dr. Benjamin Dancygier of Valley Pediatric Dentistry, IK Jo Kang Tae Kwon Do and JV Bagels II in Yorktown, Starstruck Dance Studio in Mohegan Lake, Seth and Nicole Porter of Rescue Stuff in Peekskill, The Westchester Warriors Lacrosse Club in South Salem and Mick Metal of Revolution Tattoo Company in Pearl River.
Reid said he was overwhelmed by the generosity of others, adding the effort has helped him heal personally from emotional wounds suffered at Ground Zero.
“There’s nothing we can’t fix,” he said. “A lot of good will come out of it once you get past the destruction. It’s definitely changed me and made me a better person. I really hope it continues on because there are a lot of places that have been forgotten.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
