New Bern Fire-Rescue is launching its “Fill a Fire Truck” food drive, which kicked off on Nov. 24 and lasts through Dec. 19. The goal of the food drive is to help City of New Bern employees and local families who are in need of food this holiday season.
Residents and visitors to New Bern are encouraged to stop by New Bern Fire-Rescue Headquarters, located at 1401 Neuse Blvd., and drop off non-perishable food items to help fill the fire truck. An engine is parked in front of the station with a large “Fill a Fire Truck” banner on the side, so donors andpassersby can’t miss it.
New Bern Fire-Rescue is
also accepting monetary donations. Those donations will be used to purchase perishable foods such as turkeys from local grocers to supplement the donated items. All food will be collected and boxed and presented to employees in need on Dec. 20. The remainder will be taken to Religious Community Services (RCS) for distribution to needy residents.
“While you’re out doing your holiday shopping Friday, stop by and drop a few items into the fire truck,” Fire Chief Bobby Boyd said in a news release. “Everything stays local so that all of our employees and neighbors in need can celebrate the holidays with their families near and with a nice warm meal.”
While the food drive lasts through mid-December, the department is hosting a special event on Dec. 9 fro
m 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. that is designed to invite the public to visit the fire station headquarters, have fun, and give what they can to help support the food drive. The event will feature music, popcorn and a visit from Santa.
“We want this food drive to be successful — so successful that it becomes an annual event,” Boyd said. “We already have firefighter shifts challenging other shifts to collect the most food and donations. This will be a holiday blessing for so many families, both in-house and in the community.”
Non-perishable and monetary donations will also be accepted at our fire stations located at 800 W. Thurman Road and 3101 Elizabeth Ave.
2017-11-27