Duluth Fire Department holds 25th employee toy drive

DULUTH, Minn. — The Duluth Fire Department has once again gotten into the holiday spirit, as firefighters both, current and retired, purchased toys for kids as part of its 25th annual employee toy drive.

The department raised over $7,000 from employee donations in the lead-up to the shopping spree, the most ever raised in the drive’s history.

For the firefighters involved, it’s all about continuing their service to their community.

“The firefighters just love giving back to the community. It’s in their nature, their DNA,” said Edward Schumacher, a retired captain with the department. “It’s part of their job as it is already. They work with a lot of other charity groups, and we see the children when we go to these homes, and we see the children that are in need and the families that are in need, and it gives us a moment to reflect and give and donate and take care of those people just like we would on our job.”

According to Schumacher, the last time the department worked with the Salvation Army to count how many kids were helped through the drive, the number was over 1,700 kids.