Mpls. Firefighters Team Up With Meals On Wheels For Thanksgiving
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Most of us prefer having the holidays off. But ask any one of the 70 Minneapolis firefighters at Fire Station 6 Thursday and they'll tell you they look forward to their Thanksgiving assignment all year.
"We can help spread some cheer to folks that maybe do not have the opportunity to have a meal so many of us are blessed to have," Minneapolis Fire Department Chief John Fruetel said.
On a day that's about family and giving thanks, the firefighters are family. They deliver meals to families in need as their thanks to the community they serve.
"We work 24-hour shifts together and we live together," Minneapolis Fire Department assistant chief of administration Bryan Tyner said. "It's a whole Thanksgiving feast."
The firefighters started at the fire station loading up trucks with boxes filled with turkey, potatoes, stuffing, milk, and butter. They then head out to go door to door throughout the city to personally deliver a hot meal to families who need it most.
The special deliveries are part of Meals On Wheels, which is in its 47th year of operation. The actual cooking, packaging, and delivery of all the meals takes close to 2,500 volunteers to make it happen.
For the families who aren't able to provide a Thanksgiving dinner, the food is a way to celebrate the day. But the kindness lasts long beyond the holiday season.
"A lot of people are out all over the place today serving meals and that's what we're all about," Fruetel said. "I think that's a very special day."
