In an effort to help better serve its community, the Highway 110 Volunteer Fire Department in Clinton will host a free Community Drive-Thru Meal from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
“With COVID-19, there are so many people who are really hitting hard times, and this is an opportunity for us to serve them a meal they don’t have to prepare, and it just might help them out,” said Connie Frey, a volunteer with the department.
Frey has been with the department for a couple of years, and she said she assists with fundraisers and helps organize giveaways and events of that nature. She said the meal was her idea as a way to give back to the community and “help out our area as much as we can.”
The meal will feature a pulled-pork barbecue sandwich with baked beans, coleslaw and a dessert. The department plans to serve about 200 meals on Saturday.
“This is a way people in our district can get out and not have to go to a restaurant,” Chief Danny Bagley said, “and it allows us to show our appreciation. We have a very large district, so maybe we will see some faces we don’t know and meet some new people.”
Bagley said the Highway 110 district has about 380 households. He said this is the first time the department has ever hosted anything like this, so he is unsure how many people will show up.
“I saw there were about 63 people who have indicated [on Facebook] that they are coming, but word of mouth does better than our Facebook page,” he said. “We have also advertised on the radio, and we are trying to get the word out the best we can.”
Bagley said there won’t be a limit on how many meals one family can pick up. He said if a family pulls up and says they need five meals, they will get five. He said there are some who are homebound, and the department plans to deliver meals to them as well.
“We are getting a really good response,” Frey said. “There are a lot of people who want to help with it. All the firemen are going to be there helping, and we’ve got people in the community who are going to smoke the pork, and others are reaching out wanting to help.”
Bagley has been fire chief for two years and has been with the department for three years. The department has 12 active volunteer members, including eight who fight fires and assist with emergency medical response.
“I have always helped people; that’s the way I was raised,” Bagley said. “I have two sons who are in college, and they are also on the department, as well as my wife. There are other families a part of it, too.
“We have a really good group, and we have one goal, which is to better serve our community. We are working on upgrading our equipment, which will allow us to do a better job.”
For more information, call (501) 745-4973. Frey said it is so heartwarming to see the community come together like it has for this event.
“There has been so much violence going on in this world. To see the kindness and goodness of people wanting to help others — that just fills my heart with joy,” she said.
Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.