Staff
Topping up funds collected during its annual Christmas tree pick-up, the Fort Frances Fire Brigade has donated $1,000 to local charities.
Fire safety specialist Wayne Riches said the brigade recently held a vote and decided to donate $500 each to the local Salvation Army and to David’s Deli, the soup kitchen operating out of the New Beginnings Fellowship.
Riches noted the firefighters actually collected just over $700 from the tree pick-up, but they later decided to top it up to $1,000.
“We want to put another ‘thank you’ out to the community for helping us raise those funds,” said Riches.
“We appreciate it.”
But Riches said the crews that go out and pick up trees from the curb find fewer and fewer tannenbaums to toss in their trailers with each passing year.
“At some point, who knows what’s going to happen,” he admitted. “At this point, we’re still going to continue with it.
“[But] if the numbers keep dropping the way they are, we’ll have to look at that. See if it’s a worthwhile cause or if we should focus our efforts somewhere else,” he noted.
The tree pick-up is held on the first Saturday following Ukrainian Christmas.
