On Thursday, October 25, the Macon-Bibb County Fire Department and Bibb County Sheriff’s Office held an outreach and community event for the Bellevue neighborhood at the Bert Bivins Fire Station & Sheriff’s Precinct on Napier Avenue.
From 4:00 until 5:30 p.m., firefighters and deputies walked the neighborhood to talk with people and let them know how they can make their homes and community a safer place. The Fire Department distributed free smoke detectors, fire safety tips, and home inspection information, and the Sheriff’s Office passed out public safety and crime prevention information.
Following the walk, the two agencies jointly hosted a neighborhood cookout with the Middle Georgia Food Bank at the station as the kickoff for the year-long “Firefighters Against Childhood Hunger Campaign” that is beginning here in Macon-Bibb. The Food Bank passed out 150 boxes of free food, and people were able to enjoy hamburgers and hot dogs cooked by the firefighters. Last week, a similar distribution was held in the Kings Park neighborhood.
“When you support Firefighters Against Hunger, you’re helping the children of our community who so desperately need us by supporting the firefighters, community leaders, neighborhood groups, and local officials that are trying to give them better lives and brighter futures,” says Fire Sergeant Garin Flanders, who is leading the local effort and serves on the Board of the Food Bank. “We see the impact of hunger on children and families every day as we hold outreach events and respond to emergencies in their lives, and that’s why we’re committing to this effort and actively working to make a difference.”
“This type of outreach and work gives us a great opportunity to be more visible in the community, improve people’s safety, and find ways we can more directly meet their needs where possible,” says Fire Chief Marvin Riggins.
“My deputies and I were proud to join the Fire Department in a community walk in the neighborhood around our combined offices at the Station 3/District 3 facility,” says Sheriff Davis. “We look forward to sharing with residents the ways they can keep themselves safe from crime and fire.”
About Firefighters Against Hunger
The first Firefighters Against Hunger project in Georgia is being held in Macon-Bibb County, and it’s designed to equip firefighters with the resources to respond and reduce the impact of childhood hunger in the neighborhoods around their stations. The focus is to ensure that a hungry child will have access to food during an emergency, time of need, or desperate situations. In the Middle Georgia region, more than 82,000 children live at or below the poverty level.
Any firefighter or station can participate in this project, which is sponsored locally by the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank. Stations that sign up will receive support to serve as a Food Pantry for their local community. Throughout the year, they will be able to collect food and funds through special food drives, and the top five stations will be recognized at an event in September.