The firehouse chefs at Atlanta Fire Station 21 could hardly keep up with the breakfast demand for pancakes and bacon as hundreds of Buckhead residents dropped by to support their firefighters and donate money and items to provide the Station 21 crew with much needed furnishings and equipment.
Kendall Craig, representing the Buckhead Alliance, which was the lead sponsor of the event declared Station 21’s pancake breakfast Saturday, Nov. 10 “a big success. We raised over $3,000 and donations for the event are still coming in,” she reported the following day.
Craig was instrumental in organizing the event to benefit the firefighters, which was held from 8-11 a.m. and drew a lot of families with small children. After all, what small child isn’t fascinated by fire trucks and firefighters? Parents watched and took photos as the children—two years old and up—climbed into the fire trucks, sat in the driver’s seat, and thought through their fantasies.
Meanwhile, some of their parents noticed the broken ceiling tiles in the truck bays of the station, heard of there being no sink in the men’s room at the station, and some of the other physical and comfort problems at the fire station, located at 3201 Roswell Road in the heart of Buckhead’s wealth and commerce.
Craig, along with the event’s sponsor organizations realized that Station 21 and its firefighters were in need of some basic furnishing needs, cookware, better beds and just some basic home-style needs for the home-away-from-home. But they also need GPS units for the trucks of Station 21. Now they use basic maps.
So, all donations raised through the pancake breakfast, as well as other donations, will be used to purchase items such as: four hand-held GPS units; twin bed frames, box springs and mattresses, two large crock pots; heavy duty cutlery; large, heavy-duty pots and pans; heavy duty skillet; forks and spoons for 24-30 people; cups and mugs; large coffee maker; deep freezer; televisions; heavy duty furniture (used or new); fold-up chairs and tables; office furniture (used or new desk, chair, file cabinets; carpets and area rugs; window blinds; wall paint; large grill; tools and ceiling and wall tiles.
So civic leaders, concerned individuals and families came in a steady stream and dropped their cash and check donations in a fireman’s boot, socialized and enjoyed a pancake breakfast. But many there came to lend their support—moral and financial—to their Atlanta firefighters.
In addition to the Buckhead Alliance, the breakfast sponsors were the Buckhead Business Association, BATMA (Buckhead Area Transportation Management Association), Neighborhood Planning Unit B, Whole Foods Market Buckhead, Custom Signs Today, Aaron Rents and AmeriPark.