Mission Hope Community, a historic church in the village of Camillus, New York, opened its parking lot to National Grid in August. Field operations crews were responding to service interruptions related to widespread flooding in the village, the result of Ninemile Creek overflowing from its banks due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred.

The company visited the church recently with a donation to support its food pantry.

“National Grid field crews run towards emergencies,” said Alberto Bianchetti, regional director for National Grid. “When the village of Camillus was flooded this summer and our customers lost their service, we responded and were ready to get to work when it was safe for us to proceed.”

The church, a merger of the Fay Road Baptist Church and the historic Camillus Baptist Church, had one of the few dry parking areas in the village. It welcomed National Grid with open arms. The $500 donation to the church’s food pantry was show of gratitude.

“The safety of our customers, employees, and contractors is always our top priority,” Bianchetti said. “Taking care of the communities where we live and work is just as important to us. Our donation is a small way for us to show how grateful we were for Mission Hope Community’s assistance in August.”

Pictured above (from left): Christopher Gorman, customer and community manager for National Grid; Sara French, church council co-chair for Mission Hope Community; Rev. Suzi Harriff, pastor for Mission Hope Community; and Gwendolyn Sanders, community coordinator for National Grid.