The north Big Horn County community has been extremely generous this year, with businesses, individuals, school children and volunteers opening their wallets and giving of their time to help the Lovell Volunteer Fire Dept. provide more than 40 additional Christmas food baskets than in years past.
The state of the local economy has more families hurting this year, volunteer fireman and project organizer Ralph Fink said Monday as firemen and volunteers were busily assembling the food baskets. As a result, the firemen recently voted to increase the number of baskets from the typical 130 to more than 170. As of Monday, the number of baskets being prepared stood at 174, Fink said.
“With our economy and such, we kind of expected 150 baskets or so, but not this many,” Fink said. “But our donations are way up, too.”
“We’d like to thank the businesses and people who contributed,” Captain Bob Mangus added.
Fink noted that a lot of people volunteered to help assemble the baskets on Monday after the food drive concluded last week. Lovell firemen planned to deliver their baskets to the Lovell-Cowley area Monday and Tuesday, with the Byron Lions Club handling the Byron area and the Deaver-Frannie Fire Dept. handling the northern part of the county.
“Over 700 individuals are receiving food that we know of, so it’s feeding a lot of people,” Fink said. “It’s for people who are having a tough time right now.”
Fink said the fire department obtains names from churches, the commodities program, the Lovell food bank, schools, Head Start and individual calls from people.
“I think we have pretty good coverage of people who need it,” he added. “It shows that we are a caring people who will give a little bit more when we have to. I’m amazed at the response we’ve had.”
He noted that the fire department voted unanimously to increase the number of baskets this year, even if it costs the department money. He said the Lovell and Rocky Mountain elementary schools, Rocky Mountain Middle School and the Lovell and Rocky Mountain high schools all contributed to the food drive this year.
Lovell Elementary food drive organizer Gwen Walker reported that the school gathered and donated 3,452 items this year, the highest number in 10 years. She said the fifth-grade class won the pizza party for gathering the most food, and the fire department supplied the pizza.
Walker said this is the first year fifth-grade teacher Missy Gernhart is helping her with the student council and, thus, the food drive.