Members of Johnston Fire Fighters Local 1950 performed an extraordinary rescue Monday morning and didn’t have to leave the headquarters located at 1520 Atwood Ave.
And the firefighters also set a new record for helping needy families at Thanksgiving.
“I think it’s great what they do,” Fire Chief Timothy P. McLaughlin, said while watching a half-dozen or so firefighters help representations from five public schools in Johnston load Thanksgiving baskets into their respective vehicles. “This is just one shining example of how our guys are always giving back.”
Cherra Wheeler, captain of the Fire Department’s Rescue Division, again chaired the Thanksgiving Basket Drive, which this year will help 37 Johnston families enjoy a complete turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Last year’s distribution included only 22 baskets.
“These baskets were all paid for in-house by our Local 1950 members,” Wheeler said. “Our guys go into their pockets to help needy people. This program is really, really special and we are all proud – and honored – to do this every year.”
Wheeler also explained that while 36 of the 37 Thanksgiving baskets – which included carrots, corn, green beans, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and dessert packaged in a large tin pan – came from money donated by all the Johnston firefighters, one basket was paid for and donated by the Moniz family of East Providence.
“They’ve been donating a basket for quite some time,” Wheeler said of the Moniz family. “It’s heart-warming to see people come forward to help people who are in need, especially at this time of year.”
Tuesday’s Thanksgiving basket distribution also opened some eyes of teachers and staffers from Nicholas A. Ferri Middle School, Winsor Hill Elementary School and Thornton Elementary School.
Although ladies like Karen Pezzullo, Doreen Hudson, Dina Needham, and nurse Deborah Gannon were tremendously impressed with this year’s record-setting number of baskets, the brief yet heart-warming ceremony was perhaps an eye-opener for Kristen Nappy.
Nappy is a student at Providence College from Long Island, N.Y., who is doing her practice teaching assignment under Needham, the founder and coordinator of the food cupboard at Winsor Hill. She, too, was impressed with the goings-on Tuesday morning and was all smiles when she learned of the firefighters’ extraordinary donation.
“This is what our guys do,” McLaughlin said. “Our firefighters are always doing something special for people in need and the community. Take last week’s Fire Bowl II, for example, that was also another unique food fundraisers that will also help feed a lot of people for Thanksgiving, and Christmas, too.”
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