Firefighters for Families takes place this weekend and emergency responders will be out collecting toys, food, and money.

Every year Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows firefighters collect donations from in front of various stores in the communities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and split the proceeds half and half for the Friends In Need Food Bank and the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Christmas Hamper Society.

Members will be outside both Save-On-Foods locations, Safeway, Cooper's, Extra Foods, Thrifty's, IGA, and Superstore.

"We've been doing this for a long, long time. We have donated more than $40,000 in the past 10 years, and that's just from Pitt Meadows," said Pitt Meadows Fire and Rescue asst. chief Brad Perrie.

Cheque presentations for the Friends In Need Food Bank and Maple Ridge-Pitt meados Christmas Hamper will be made on stage at the CP Holiday Train event on Tuesday, Dec. 18 when the train makes its annual stop at the West Coast Express Port Haney station.

"I don't know of other local fire departments besides us that make this type of presentation," he said.

But, the economy has shown its reach, explained Perry.

"I noticed with our muscular dystrophy drive that we used to get $20 and $10 bills. Now we get a lot of $5s, toonies, and loonies," said Perry.

"We do this at Christmas time, but the message needs to be that the food bank services the community through out the entire year," added the chief.

"All we can ask is that people consider giving what they can to help the less financially stable."

smclaren@mrtimes.com