Boot Drive for MDA, Fireman Santa in progress
Eatonton Fire Department fired up its annual campaigns of helping others last week with its annual Boot Drive for MDA and the announcement of its holiday Fireman Santa program.
On Friday Nov. 4, Fire Chief Eugene Hubert and several firefighters stood at the intersection of Sumter Street and South Jefferson Avenue; and on Saturday, Nov. 5, they were stationed at the intersection of Highways 441 and 129, collecting money from drivers waiting at the traffic light.
In all, they collected $7, 763 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Hubert said.
EFD hosted the boot drive since 2003 but stopped in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid, so Hubert said he was pleased with the success of the resurgence. In the 19 years they’ve participated, EFD has donated more than $148,000 to accelerate research and help families suffering from MD.
Fireman Santa also has been going on for years. The fire department uses donations from the community to provide toys to families in need with young children. Last year, Fireman Santa helped make Christmas a little brighter for more than 200 children. Hubert said last year’s Fireman Santa was the biggest yet, and they not only provided age-appropriate toys and clothes, but also more than 100 bicycles and bicycle helmets to children who requested them.
Donations have slowed down significantly this year, Hubert noted.
“We cannot do this without the public’s help,” he emphasized. “We need everyone’s help so that those children can wake up Christmas morning with a smile on their faces.”
The fire chief also said that during the Boot Drive, several people asked him when the fire department would start accepting applications for recipients of Fireman Santa. This year’s applications will be available Nov. 14, he added.
This year’s Fireman Santa process will be more restricted so that only applicants who reside in Eatonton and Putnam County will be accepted. Hubert said that last year, he learned of a recipient that cheated, but after being caught, that parent returned the extra donations they had taken, and measures were made to ensure that will not happen again with anyone.
For more information or to donate to either program, call Eatonton Fire Department at 706-485-2531, call Chief Hubert at 478-288-3430, or visit the station at 214 W. Marion St., Eatonton.