The District 5 Volunteer Fire Department in Oktibbeha County was on the receiving end of some much-needed funds after a popular local event donated its proceeds to the department.
District 5 Fire Chief Terry Skinner and Doug Dollar were recently presented with a check for $4,000 provided to the volunteer fire department by way of the 45th annual Oktoc Country Store.
The annual event, sponsored by the Oktoc Garden Club, was held at the Oktoc Community Club in October and featured live music, baked goods, a one-of-a-kind hand pieced quilt raffle, Brunswick Stew, children's games and a silent auction.
The funds will be used for new equipment for the fire department and officials are still discussing what specifically it will be spent on.
Margaret Ann Harned Chandler, one of the organizers of the event, told the Starkville Daily News that all of the profits from the Country Store are given away to charities or causes every year. For 2017, the District 5 VFD was an easy pick.
“This year, we found out our Oktoc volunteer fire department could possibly get enough money to help get another grant for a new fire engine, and all they needed was four thousand more dollars,” Chandler said. “Then, we realized how important it is.”
Chandler also praised the volunteer fire department for its fire rating, which ultimately helps the pocketbooks of people in the district.
“All of our insurances have gone down because they raised quality of it,” Chandler said. “Thousands of people depend upon that fire department, so we unanimously decided that’s what we wanted to do.”