San Patricio Electric Cooperative, in partnership with CoBank, presented four area volunteer fire departments with donations of $5,000 this November. The recipients were the Normanna, Pawnee, Refugio and Woodsboro volunteer fire departments.
SPEC’s Board of Directors approved donations to these fire departments earlier this year, and the co-op applied to CoBank’s Sharing Success Program in hopes of doubling the amount it planned to give. CoBank’s Sharing Success Program matches donations by the bank’s cooperative customers to eligible nonprofit organizations in their communities.
“We know volunteer fire departments provide a critical service for our rural communities by responding to fires, car accidents and other emergencies,” said Ron Hughes, SPEC General Manager. “SPEC is proud to support these men and women who volunteer their time to serve our communities, and we’re thankful for the generous contribution from CoBank, which has allowed us to double our donations.”
The Normanna Volunteer Fire Department recently had to purchase a new truck and gear for their volunteers, and this donation will help ease those financial burdens. The fire station is also in need of an electrical upgrade and this donation will help cover those costs.
The Pawnee Volunteer Fire Department said its $5,000 donation would help replace some wildland gear for the department, which is used for grass and brush fires. The new gear is cooler and can also be used while performing vehicle extraction instead of using structural gear. Any leftover funds will go toward supplies for its rescue/medical truck.
The Refugio Volunteer Fire Department will put its $5,000 donation toward the installation of a standby generator at their new fire station. The department lost its station during Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and has since replaced it with a new fire station that should be able to withstand a Category 4 Hurricane. Its generator will be able to power the entire station. We know it will be a relief to the volunteer firefighters and community who were so deeply affected by Hurricane Harvey.
The Woodsboro Volunteer Fire Department plans to use its donation to ease the financial burden of replacing a motor and pump for its brush truck, which was rendered inoperable after a fire call over the summer. The new pump will allow firefighters to fight fires from a greater distance, increasing fire suppression capabilities and improving safety for the department’s volunteers.
CoBank’s Sharing Success program was started in 2012 as a way to give back to co-ops and the non-profits they support. SPEC and CoBank have partnered on similar donations in years past. Including the donations made in November, the organizations together have donated $133,000 to non-profit organizations and first responders in SPEC’s service area.
Since 2013, SPEC and CoBank have made contributions to 15 area volunteer fire departments, the Coastal Bend Food Bank, the Community Action Corporation of South Texas, the Community Action Council of South Central Texas, South Texas Women’s Shelter, Boys & Girls Club of Beeville, Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas, the South Texas Council of Boy Scouts and the South Texas Children’s Home.
