East Hartford Fire Union 1548 donated $1,800 to the East Hartford Food Bank.
EAST HARTFORD, Connecticut – The East Hartford community gathered on Oak Street Tuesday night to spend time with the Krauses, get in the Christmas spirit and donate to the local food bank.
For three years, Rick Bollash has been decorating his home with Christmas inflatables so people can stroll around in festive cheer. He raised money for St. Mary’s East Hartford Food Bank. The bin and the donations inside were stolen from his yard late last week.
Since then, donations have continued to pour in. On Tuesday, he welcomed people to his home and filled a pickup truck with donations for the food bank. East Hartford Fire Union 1548 collected and donated $1,800.
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“I could cry right now. It’s incredible. Everyone put in a huge effort for it. It’s definitely coming back next year bigger and better,” Bollash said after receiving his check.
Union president Brian Gunnoud said the community always came forward to help.
“We’re delighted to have sent an email to our members. Luckily we have some great firefighters in our town and everyone has been involved in some way to help. We’re just sad that this happened in a It’s a good reason for a good gentleman trying to be,” he said.
Bollash said they raised $3,000 for the food bank in two days. He received two checks and a cash donation for $500. His living room was filled with donations because people felt the need to give back.
“I feel like if someone feels the need to take it, they need it too, so there are a lot of people who need help. I’m in a position to help a little bit, so why not celebrate?” Create a festive mood by giving back, ’ neighbor Hank Stephenson told FOX61 Saturday while delivering food.
Bollash said he wanted to give up after the bin was stolen, but his community wanted him to continue.
“When it snowed that weekend, I was going to bury it rather than revive it, but I got a downpour. People came up and said, ‘You’ve got to keep going for our kids,'” Bollash said.
Tony Black is a multimedia reporter for FOX61 News.he can reach tblack@fox61.com. follow him Facebook, Twitter with instagram.
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