Belle Vernon Area Rotary provides comfort bags for first responders
The bags were distributed to local police, firefighters and EMS providers.
The bags were distributed to local police, firefighters and EMS providers.
In their latest effort to give back to their community, members of the Belle Vernon Area Rotary Club handed out “comfort bags” to local first responders to aid families struck by tragedy.
At Thursday’s meeting, the club gave out 40 bags to police, fire departments, and EMS services to provide to families in emergencies. Debby Puglia, the project chair, said the bags were inspired by Rotary District Governor Dan Dougherty.
“It was such a good meeting, everybody was in such a good mood,” Puglia said. “It was nice to have all the police officers there and the fire department from Smithton. They all seemed to be impressed with the bags. Talked about how they would be of help to citizens in need.”
The bags will be kept in the first responders’ vehicles so they can be given to families who face domestic incidents, fires, evacuations and other emergencies. Each bag contains basic toiletries, teddy bears, a blanket, coloring books and crayons, pens and a notepad.
The contents are in a duffel bag that Puglia said could help families pack their belongings if necessary. The duffel bags were sourced and funded in part by Beegraphix Inc. in North Belle Vernon.
Bags were presented to Officers Matthew Scheiber and Stephen Sholtis of the Rostraver Police Department, Officer Dennis Heath of the Perryopolis Police Department, Chief Eugene Lipari of the North Belle Vernon Police Department and Joel Ribinscky and Marty Ponebshek of the Smithton Volunteer Fire Department. Bags were also delivered to the Southwest Regional and Washington Township police departments.
This was the club’s first time doing such a project, and Puglia said they’re looking to continue the program in the future.
“It’s a project that our club wants to continue with,” she said. “And as these police departments use up these bags, then we’re going to be looking for maybe some other businesses that will come up with some donations to help us get more bags and some of the contents for the bags.”
To continue the program, they’re planning to place donation boxes in some of the local fire and police departments in the area. The boxes will allow local residents to donate toward the project by providing towels, toiletries and anything that could go in the comfort bags.
“It was a nice project that involved a lot of our club members working together, and it just gave you that real nice sense of doing something for your community,” Puglia said. “You’re doing something that can help people in their time of need.”
The club received donations from Howard Hanna Simon Real Estate, Somerset Trust, Dr. Brian Rudolf, Theresa’s Hair Loft, Mon Valley Penn Highlands Hospital, Belle Vernon Walmart, Belle Vernon Holiday Inn Express and Rotary members.
