On July 15th the Goodhue Fire Department (GFD) received funds donated by two local organizations. The fundraising efforts of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church and the Goodhue Lion’s Club will benefit the department by enabling them to purchase new equipment. The St. Peter’s Ladies’ Aid donated $1300.00 toward new pagers and the Goodhue Lion’s Club presented the department with $24,772.00 to help purchase an extractor for washing uniforms.
The St. Peter’s donation represented the profit from their Volksfest burrito breakfast. Volunteers shopped for, prepared, cooked and served eggs, ham, sausage and all the burrito fillings plus fruit and beverages. Some food and supplies were provided by church members and $160.00 cash was collected from the congregation to cover expenses. One member donated a $250.00 gift card earned as Thrivent Financial Choice Dollars, allowing the $1225.00 in free-will donations of over 175 guests to be rounded up and passed on to the GFD.
The money will be put toward the purchase of new pagers. Like most technology, pagers become outdated and need to be replaced with newer models. The pagers receive calls from dispatch and have the ability to record the messages, making it easier for emergency crews to review the information. The pagers cost $600.00 each and the department is close to having one for each of its 29 members.
The Goodhue Lions’ donation included money raised from their Belgian waffle breakfast also held during Volksfest. This, added to funds from their annual chicken BBQ and charitable gambling, will be used by the department to purchase a new extractor. The machine is used to wash the crews’ turnout gear following a fire call. A set of turnout gear—the protective coat, pants, boots, gloves, hood and helmet—worn while responding to a fire, costs $5000.00. An extractor is an advanced washing machine that protects the uniforms while ensuring the removal of contaminants that can cause environmental or health problems. GFD has showers on-site and participated in hazmat and decontamination training the same night they received the donations.
Goodhue Lions’ president, Ken Blattner said, “It wasn’t a hard decision” to donate to the GFD. “It might be us (that needs their service) one day”. The organization makes many other donations each year including $5,000.00 to the Habitat for Humanity house and $100,000.00 given to the Goodhue County Friends of the Fair for the construction of the new poultry building. (See related articles.)
