Hometown Hangout Supports McKenzie Police, Fire's Christmas for Kids Program

McKENZIE (November 15) — Hometown Hangout hosted members of the McKenzie Police Department and McKenzie Fire & Rescue Saturday for a special fundraiser to support the first responders' Christmas for Kids program.

The initiative seeks to make the holidays merrier for underprivileged children in the area.

The local heroes were on hand to greet customers and help out the Hangout staff as the charitable endeavor brought out a great crowd.

A portion of the eatery's sales for the night went directly to the program, and donations were also accepted.

Several emergency vehicles with lights flashing were parked at the Hangout for customers to check out up close and also to draw in some passersby.

Hometown Hangout's Ashley Beeler told The Banner, "We have found that the community's been so good to us, so we always appreciate the opportunity to give back."

McKenzie Police Chief Ryan White told The Banner, "The Christmas for Kids program is a collaboration between the police and fire departments. It's a 'shop with a first responder' program. This is the third year in a row we've done this. It's been a great collaboration with the whole community."

Chief White said that they helped 53 kids last year, and he expects that number to rise to around 60 this year.

Fire Chief Brian Tucker added, "It's something we started back several years ago. We had to get away from it for a brief period, but we've been fortunate enough for the last two or three years to resume the program. We kind of hoped it would start out with a bang and it has. It's getting bigger every year. We'll be making a donation to Angel Tree as well, so we could be helping 75 to 80 kids this year by the time it's said and done."

More businesses and organizations will contribute with the program. The next fundraiser will be at McDonald's on Monday, November 24 during lunch.