Working hard to raise money never tasted so good.
Hundreds of people in Stockton, Illinois came together for a spaghetti luncheon and silent auction fundraiser at Stockton High School. All of the food and auction items were donated by members of the community in support of the Stockton Fire Department.
The department responded to a fire in their station on Feb. 25 and is fighting to raise the money to replace the thousands of dollars in lost equipment.
Stockton Fire Chief Randy Baysinger says the cause of the fire is likely electrical, starting in a trailer with an ATV inside, he also says the department has no idea how much money is needed to fix the damages until the insurance company finishes their investigation.
"Due to the huge scope of the loss, the insurance company hasn't been able to pin down a final number on what their going to be able to give us. We know we're going to be many thousands of dollars short," he says.
Although Chief Baysinger says it could be eight months to a year before their station is up and running again, Stockton firemen are working out of a smaller building across the street from the station, using borrowed equipment and fire trucks from other fire stations.
In the mean time, the people of Stockton are holding events like the spaghetti luncheon to show their support and help their fire department get back on track.
"Anytime the Stockton firemen are thanked for something they do whether it's a car accident of anything they always respond, 'well it's what we do,' well this is what we do as a community, " says community organizer, Scott Noller.
Well over 200 people attended Sunday's event.