Carmel Fire Department Auxiliary receives $10K donation to support community outreach programs
CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) — The Carmel Fire Department Auxiliary received a $10,000 donation from Meijer to help pay for important local programs.
The Carmel Fire Department Auxiliary started as a women’s club in the ’60s and ’70s. Today, the organization counts men, women, and children as members.
“It’s an organization of people who are related to someone that is a part of the Carmel Fire Department,” Renee Butts, the president of the organization, said. “In 2022, the organization served 175 families with our different events.”
Those events include toy drives, community assistance programs, sending medical supplies to Ukraine, as well as providing firefighters and their families with support. It also helps with the Safe Haven Baby Box at Carmel Fire Station 45, which set a national record last year when three babies were dropped off within an 8-week span.
Butts says the donation from Meijer will go a long way and giving back is part of the auxiliary tradition.
“I’m a firefighter, my husband just retired in April after a 40-year career here at Carmel, and our son is on the fire department. He’s, I think, on his sixth year,” Butts said.
There are around 170 members of the Carmel Fire Department and even more members of the auxiliary.
Charity Montes is a member of the auxiliary. Her husband has been a firefighter in Carmel for three years.
“My favorite thing about the auxiliary is all the stuff we do with the families and the kids, like ‘Firefighter for a Day’ camp, and there’s a lot of events where we go out and do things,” Montes said. “I think that’s been really impactful for me.”
Angie Edwards is also part of the organization. Her husband is going on 26 years with the Carmel Fire Department.
“You know, in a small way, we are just here to make the community better,” Edwards explained. “And companies like Meijer, who give $10,000 of donation money, it allows us to go out and just do good in this world.
Shaun Kriskovich, the Meijer Store Director in Carmel, sent News 8 a statement about the donation.
“Meijer cares about our community, and we’re so thankful for the Carmel Fire Department and the many ways they make an impact, going above and beyond to keep our neighbors safe and healthy all year long,” the statement reads.
The fire department plans to use the money to continue its efforts of supporting the community throughout the year through various projects.