SAN ANTONIO – As we get closer to Thanksgiving, one organization is making sure San Antonio firefighters have a nice turkey to eat this year.
On Wednesday, Generations Federal Credit Union employees delivered Thanksgiving food items to over 50 San Antonio fire stations and their families.
“This is our 10th annual Turkey Express event, and we’re super excited to be out here on this brisk morning. It’s an organized effort amongst our team to go out and show some appreciation for our firefighters, in and around San Antonio,” Ken Ramie, president, and CEO, of GFCU said.
The effort is an expression of gratitude for the generations of families that have dedicated their lives to serving the community.
“I think it’s easily forgotten this time of year of the sacrifices that our first responders make in terms of time with their families in order to enjoy our time with our families,” Ramie said.
The first stop on the turkey giveaway: Fire Station No. 4 in downtown.
“The importance of having turkeys for our firefighters at the station is to help us out on those days. It is so important because we are still running calls, we are still taking care of the people who call us every single day, and for us to be able to come back and have a meal with our work family, it is so important, so I can’t thank them (Generations Federal Credit Union) enough for their generosity,” Charles Hood, Fire Chief for the San Antonio Fire Department said.
Team members delivered complete holiday meals, consisting of turkey’s, hams, and apple pies to the fire stations.
For Assistant Fire Chief Brian O’Neill, GFCU’S Turkey Express effort is one that hits especially close to home, as his family has been serving the San Antonio Department for more than 80 years.
“We grew up with Generations back before it was called Generations Credit Union. I grew up in a firefighter family and I know what that means on holidays. We had trouble getting together because either my dad was working or my uncle was working or whatever, so I understand the struggle our firefighters face during the holiday season,” O’Neill said.