BANGOR, Maine — Standing out in the cold rain on Black Friday, Bangor firefighters kept their yearly tradition of filling boots with donations to fight muscular dystrophy.
All the cash donations were made by Black Friday shoppers driving between stores on Hogan Road in Bangor.
Before the pandemic slowed shopping traffic, Bangor Fire Department would receive around $10,000 in donations every year for the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Northern New England — and they say they’re getting close to that number this year.
Since 1954, over $750,000,000 has been raised by the International Association of Fire Fighters which has helped develop 19 different medications to help fight neural muscular diseases.
“People have been extremely supportive of us, extremely generous, as they start their holiday shopping season. A lot of money flying out—and also it is not uncommon to have hot chocolate and coffee dropped off on people’s second pass-through as well. We really appreciate it,” Jared Bowden, the Bangor Professional Firefighters MDA Committee Chair, said.
If you weren’t in Bangor on Black Friday or just skipped the crazy shopping, you can still make a donation by visiting the Bangor Fire Department or by going to their website dedicated to collecting donations for the cause.