Santa Event Attracts 2075lbs Of Food

It will be a merrier Christmas for many local families, thanks in part to Coeur d’Alene firefighters who donated their time over the past several evenings to spread cheer and collect donations during the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department’s annual “Santa in a Big Red Fire Engine” event, which concluded Monday night. Deputy Fire Chief Glenn Lauper said 2,075 pounds of food was collected to share with the local food bank—a record for the annual event. Firefighters, volunteering their time, also accepted $400 in donations, collected many toys for the Toys for Tots program, and passed out 1,500 candy canes. “It was amazing,” said Cd’A Fire Chief Kenny Gabriel. “The amount of community support was huge and I can’t count the number of smiles and ‘thank yous’ our folks received.” The Firefighter Santa effort is made possible entirely by local firefighters who donate their time to give back to the community. There are no taxpayer dollars involved, Chief Gabriel said. “The amount of community support was overwhelming.” The chief also thanked the Coeur d’Alene Police Department, which provided an escort for Santa’s “sleigh”/ Keith Erickson , Coeur d’Alene Today. (SR file photo: Jesse Tinsley)

Question: Did you donate to the annual ‘Santa in a Big Red Fire Engine’ event this year?