Plympton FD Chief Steve Silva helps Wendy Taylor to the food table. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
The Plympton Fire Department cooked an early thanksgiving feast for seniors in town. About 40 seniors attended the lunch held at the Upland Club.
“This is so awesome, we appreciate them so much. It’s wonderful being old, they take care of us,” said Jackie Freitas. “The Fire Department also goes to peoples houses if they think they’re in trouble. They look out for us.”
Members of the Fire Department started cooking the turkey lunch at 6 a.m. The meal was complete with mashed potatoes, stuffing, and much more.
“The Fire Department under Chief Steve Silva and Captain John Sjostedt have been phenomenal as far as reaching out to the community and including us,” said Geri Cellini. “It makes you want to be a better citizen because of what they do. It was an awesome, awesome thing for them to do this.”
Captain Sjostedt said these meals started two years ago, when they responded to a call and found a family in need. Their home was in foreclosure, and there were electrical issues in the home. The department rallied to put together a full meal for the family.
“Thankfully not everybody gets to see us. Usually when you see the firefighters, it’s a difficult situation. You can’t imagine the wonderful crew that we have in this town. They have a passion for the town that they’re serving. That’s why they’re here today,” said Sjostedt. “They just love working in the community and giving back to the community.”
The last two years, they haven’t come across a family in need, so they opened the lunch to the seniors.
“They’re very helpful to us. We can ask them any question and they always have a ready answer,” said Wendy Taylor. I’m grateful for them being here and what they do for us.”
Firefighter EMT Garrett McGurrin was among those in the kitchen in the early morning preparing the feast.
“Plympton Fire is a great place to be,” said McGurrin. “I’ve been here over 10 years. Doing stuff like this just makes it even better.”
Fire Chief Steve Silva hopes the event can continue to grow.
“It’s awesome. I think every fire department or public safety agency, every town agency for that matter needs to become part of the fabric of the community,” said Silva. “The firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs in Plympton have absolutely bought into that concept… these are our customers in a weird way. It’s our job to give them what they need, find out what they want from us. It’s not just about the emergencies – it’s about everyday life.”
About 40 people attended the Thanksgiving lunch. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
Plympton FD Chief Steve Silva laughs with attendees at the Thanksgiving lunch. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
The meal included turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and dessert. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
Members of the Plympton Fire Department starting cooking around 6 a.m. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
