Photo by Brian Goodridge
Commander Keith Cone of the Hornell Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) listens to scanner traffic in the morning and has noticed how busy volunteer fire departments are. He notes, too, the list of out-of-service apparatus in Steuben County each day, and the busy ambulances and helicopters making daily transports.
In a year of extraordinary philanthropy, the Hornell VFW donated $2500 each to the Hornell Fire and Police departments, American Red Cross, and Hornell Area Humane Society. In November, Cmdr. Cone proposed making donations to local volunteer fire departments to help with basic needs. The VFW honored local fire departments on Dec. 15, 2021 with an evening of pizza and fellowship and presented representatives of each a check for $1000. The fourteen departments selected by the VFW represent communities in which VFW members live. Concluding the presentation, the VFW gave Steuben County’s foster care program a donation of $1500 to give older children in foster care, who are often overlooked at the holidays, Christmas gifts.
Present to accept checks on behalf of their departments from Cmdr. Cone (center) were Brian Goodridge and George Ormsby of Alfred Station Fire Company, Rebecca Weaver Hamm of A. E. Crandall Hook & Ladder Company, and Andy Hulbert of Almond Volunteer Fire and Rescue. These departments are part of Allegany County’s District IV and support one another with mutual aid, along with Andover Volunteer Fire Department and Andover Ambulance. The other departments honored on Dec. 15 were Arkport, Avoca, Canaseraga, Canisteo, Fremont, Greenwood, Howard, North Hornell, South Hornell, South Dansville, and Wayland.
The Almond, Alfred Station, and Alfred fire departments are deeply appreciative of the VFW’s generosity.
