San Angelo Fire Department to Fill the Boot for MDA

San Angelo firefighters are hitting the streets for three days during their annual Fill the Boot fundraising campaign for the Muscular Dystrophy Association on April 26-28.

UPDATE:
The San Angelo Fire Department has fielded reports of citizens receiving phone calls soliciting donations from someone purporting to represent the SAFD and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. This is not a legitimate endeavor. The SAFD does not seek donations by phone. The only way the Fire Department collects contributions for the MDA is through its annual Fill the Boot campaign. That effort is underway and continues through Friday.

The San Angelo Fire Department and the San Angelo Fire Firefighters Association since 1999 have engaged in the fundraising effort, during which motorists at four intersections drop dollar bills and loose change into the firefighters’ rubber boots. The intersections will be the same as in years past:

• 29th Street and North Bryant Boulevard.
• Abe and Harris streets.
• Johnson Street and Knickerbocker Road.
• Sherwood Way and Avenue N.

Firefighters will collect funds from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. each day.

Local firefighters raise approximately $50,000 for the MDA during the annual effort. San Angelo firefighters have raised more than a half-million dollars for local families suffering from neuromuscular diseases over the past 18 years.

“We look forward to the Fill the Boot campaign each year,” firefighter Mason Matthews said. “It’s a great opportunity for the SAFD to interact with the public we serve while supporting a great cause. The nature of our jobs is that we come in contact with citizens mostly in crisis situations. This is all about having fun while helping neighbors in need.”

Motorists are reminded to help protect the firefighters by slowing down when approaching the intersections, watching for the first-responders in the streets, and being aware of cars braking in front of them.