The Winter solstice, on Friday, December 21, 2018, was celebrated by Morrison Fire Department in Morrison, IL, as they demonstrated “Caring for Our Community.” Their outreach event began in 2008. After a decade of collecting toys and other gifts for children, Fireman Rob Hudson said, “Most people who are involved in [the service project] do it each year.”
Santa’s reindeer are carb-loading for their mega-journey on Monday, December 24. So, Santa and Mrs. Claus 1, Santa and Mrs. Claus 2, and one sprightly Elf commandeered shiny fire engines and delivered happiness to about 100 children. No one minded that gifts arrived a few days early. On Tuesday, December 18, “It took a couple hours to wrap” all those items, Hudson noted. Wrapper elves included mothers, wives, and children of the firemen; parents; teachers; other volunteers. Some gifts–like stuffed animals, fleece blankets, and bicycles–were not wrapped.
The Christmas convoy rolled at 6:00 p.m. and made stops at 42 homes, following an organized rural or in-town route. Last year, Hudson reported, there were 49 stops. A majority of the families are the same each year.
Both engines held a MFD driver, co-pilot/navigator, and the Claus couple; one chauffeured an elf. Likewise, each support vehicle held a driver and navigator. Their job was to ready the gift bags for the appropriate destinations. Efficient route planning and gift dispersal are essential.
Each Mrs. Claus carries candy canes to distribute, and they read the children’s names on the gift tags. If the family desires, the holiday visitors pose for a photo with the children by the Christmas tree.
It would be 9:00 before Fire Department members and volunteers returned to the station and put away costumes and equipment.
Fire engine #3 visited five homes in rural Morrison, IL. A pickup truck stuffed with gifts followed.
Fire engine #4 visited 37 homes in town. A pickup truck followed, pulling an enclosed trailer stuffed with gifts. There were so many personalized gift bags for these children, that a return to the fire station was necessary, to reload the trailer.
As proven many times, generosity runs deep in Morrison, where residents take care of those in need. Local donations of toys, gift cards, and cash supported the tenth annual “Caring for Our Community” Toy Drive. In November, firefighters began accepting unwrapped toys and cash to purchase holiday items. Donations were brought to the station during the pork chop drive-through sale. Not surprisingly, citizens continued to add to the gift collection past the deadline.
A family is eligible if they have children who attend classes in the Morrison School District and are presently enrolled in the free lunch program. Additional recipients may be those with unemployed parents or children who live in unemployed households, as determined on a case-by-case basis.
The tenth successful MFD service project took place on the longest night of the year. Each day, as night hours continue to shorten, the generosity of those involved will bring light to children in our community.