When a fire hits a family’s home, the damage and emotional scars it leaves can be disastrous. And when the times get tough, that’s why the Dickinson City Fire Auxiliary is there ready to step in and lend a hand.
Hosted by the Dickinson City Fire Auxiliary, the first Thanks-Giving Back Silent Auction kicked off Nov. 6 and will accept any item donation or bid up until 8 p.m. Friday through its Facebook page. Over 30 businesses and community members throughout Dickinson have participated in this auction by donating gift baskets, decorative signs, homemade quilts, merchandise and other items.
Vice President Sara Rhode of the Dickinson City Fire Auxiliary noted that the funds raised through this silent auction will be used to help fire victims in the Dickinson area.
“The auxiliary has been revamped this last year so we’re we’re trying to come up with ways to reach out to the community and [to let] them know what we do and with this auction, the funds that are raised from the donations from the businesses and community members, the auxiliary uses to aid fire victims throughout the community,” Rhode said. “So if someone has had a house fire or anything like that and they’re not able to stay in their house, we use money to provide hotel rooms or to give them gift cards to get groceries like to Walmart — just things like that to help out the families or the victims to make it a little bit easier for them.”
Each item posted on the Thanks-Giving Back Silent Auction Facebook page will detail the estimated value and starting bid; minimum bids will vary depending on the item listed. If people bid on a 21 and over item, they must present valid ID when picking the item(s) up.
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Once the auction closes, the highest bid entered on the comment section that adheres to the suggested increment “shall constitute the winning bid and will so be marked,” the Facebook post states. The winning bidder will be contacted via Facebook message to set up payment with either cash, Paypal or Venmo. If the item is left unclaimed for 48 hours, it will be offered to the next highest bidder and sold.
The winners will most likely be announced Friday evening after the auction window closes at 8 p.m. and details will be released as to when the highest bidders will be able to pick up their items at the City of Dickinson Public Safety Center.
Rhode said that she’s anxious to see community support grow for the Dickinson Fire Department and to appreciate the work they do “day-in and day-out.”
“All of the donations are obviously free-will donations. You never know when your family or someone that you know could be affected by a fire... It’s the community coming together just to help each other out if such an unfortunate event would occur, because if a family is affected in the community by something like a fire, it really makes an impact on everybody. So if people are able to help by donating the money or the baskets, I just feel like overall it’s a good community camaraderie,” she added.
For more information, visit the Thanks-Giving Back Silent Auction Facebook page. Following the auction, the Dickinson City Fire Auxiliary is planning for a skate with a firefighter event for 2021, a 911 memorial stair climb and potentially a golf scramble in the summer.
