Local fire union donates $5K to Blue Star Mothers Chapter 20, Food 4 Kids

Chelsea Weeks, Claremore Daily Progress, Okla.
·2 min read

Oct. 4—Natron Wolfe was serving in the Marine Corps in Japan in 2019 when he received his first Freedom box from the Blue Star Mothers Chapter 20.

Inside were toiletries, snacks and an inflatable deer antler toy, which served as a way to "fill empty spots," he said.

"The boxes helped a lot," he said.

Now a Claremore firefighter, Wolfe is part of an organization that is giving back.

Claremore Fire Fighter Local 1077 Union donated $5,000 to two local non-profit organizations: Blue Star Mothers Chapter 20 and the Rogers County Salvation Army Food 4 Kids program.

L1077 Union Secretary and Treasurer Robert Casey said they raised the funds through the third annual Jason Farley Memorial Golf Tournament.

"The Blue Star Mothers, you know, they support the military families and send care packages and we fully support that," Casey said. "They've always been good to us. ... We fully support what they support."

Blue Star Mothers Oklahoma Chapter 20 sends Freedom Boxes — full of toiletries and snacks — to soldiers serving overseas.

Chapter President Wanda Inman said this donation will greatly impact the chapter because they've been receiving so many names of soldiers in need of a box.

"Every dime counts," she said.

BSM Chapter 20 sent out 129 boxes in September. Each box costs approximately $85 to fill and ship.

Casey said they've filled boxes for the Food 4 Kids program.

The Rogers County Salvation Army Food 4 Kids program provides weekend meals for more than 400 Rogers County students during the school year. The cost per child is $140.

"That's something we support as a Union and we wanted to help out in anyway we can," he said.

Casey said the Union is selling Claremore Fire Breast Cancer Awareness shirts right now.

For the past five years, the department will come up with a design that can be worn on duty to show their support for breast cancer awareness, then sell similar looking shirts to the public, he said.

"All proceeds that come from that we've been donating to Oklahoma project women, which is a local organization that helps out women that may not have insurance, helps them get mammograms," he said.

Casey said the shirts are being printed at Uniquely Yours. Shirts are $20 and sweatshirts are $28.

The last day to purchase a shirt is Oct. 27 at https://cfdbreastcancer2022.itemorder.com/.

Shirts will be printed in the last week of the month and ready by the beginning of November.