Ken's BiLo and Miele Manufacturing paid tribute to local volunteer fire companies during an appreciation event on Saturday.
Representatives from the Spangler, Hope (Northern Cambria), Cherry Tree, Nicktown and Westover departments, along with the Cambria County Regional Training Academy, attended the gathering at the supermarket, located in Northern Cambria.
A similar get-together for firefighters from Hastings, Patton and Carrolltown is scheduled to take place this upcoming Saturday at Ken's BiLo in Patton.
"It's up to each of us to do the best we can to really support these guys with anything we can do to help them," said Ken Gibson, owner of Ken's BiLo. "Plus every one of these departments that I'm talking about helps me with my business when they have fundraisers. Anything they're doing, hoagie sales and such, they come in and buy some stuff off of us."
All total, more than $25,000 will be donated to the fire companies over the two weekends, according to Gibson.
"To be able to give, whether it be for training, like we're doing today, or radios or to buy just one outfit, (is helpful)," said Lynn Wheland, a sales representative from Miele Manufacturing that makes the Pennsylvania Skill games used in Ken's BiLo and numerous other locations. "That's several thousand dollars just to fit one firefighter."
Members of the departments displayed equipment and met with customers who were coming and going in the supermarket's parking lot.
"It's nice for us to get out and be able to spend time with people in this setting," said Shawn Veneskey, a firefighter with Hope Fire Co. "A lot of times when we meet people, it's on the worst day of their lives. When we're here and we get to see people that are happy, coming around smiling, being able to have a good time and interact with them on a positive note, it makes us feel a lot better. It gives us something to look forward to to do events like this, rather than always the negative."
This article was published by The Tribune-Democrat through Yahoo! News on May 14, 2023. Photos taken by Lynn Wheland.