Eielson fire department gives back to local community through fundraiser

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Nora Anton
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  The 354th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department spent valuable time to give back to the local community by dropping off Eielson donations Sept. 15 to the Fairbanks Rescue Mission.

The Eielson firefighters hosted a clothing drive Aug. 7 to Sept. 7 for the Fairbanks Rescue Mission, a non-profit organization whose mission is to address the physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, and social well-being of all those who are brought to their door.

The firefighters raised 2,000 pounds of clothes from people around base for those in need during their fundraiser.

The FRM is the only homeless shelter in the Interior Alaska; it facilitates the needs of the homeless in an area the size of Texas, and also donates clothes to other non-profit organizations in the area.

"This is the second year we've had this fundraiser," said Staff Sgt. Jevon King, 354th CES fire inspector and fundraiser coordinator. "We're hoping to make it an annual thing."

Sergeant King, who organized fundraiser along with Charles Williams, 354th CES fire captain, said the collection focused on winter clothing items such as coats and gloves, but accepted nearly everything the base populace was willing to donate.

The donations will help people in the local area who need emergency housing and food, counseling and transition support, among other services the FRM offers.

"It warms my heart to give back to the local community," said Sergeant King. "Many of the local homeless people are veterans, so not only are we helping people of the local community but some of the men and women who have served in the Armed Forces."

As far as his expectations went on the outcome of the fundraiser, the fire fighter said that it didn't matter how many items were collected, just the fact that items were donated was all that mattered.

"I didn't have expectations because even if we would have only collected one or two items, that means that one or two more people would be kept warm this upcoming winter," said Sergeant King.

Executive director for the FRM, Rodney Gaskins, said "There is always a need for clothing, especially in the winter--we work predominantly off donations so the 2,000 pounds of clothing the fire fighters dropped off helped a lot."