South Buffalo VFD seeks nominations for family to benefit from truck and tractor pull
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The South Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department is seeking nominations for a family in need to be the beneficiary of their annual benefit truck and tractor pull.
There are no specific qualifications to be nominated. The VFD asks that people do not nominate themselves, said Erin Pflueger, a member of the fire department who helps organize the annual benefit event. She said they are looking for local nominees from Armstrong County or the surrounding areas.
“With covid right now, everyone’s struggling,” Pflueger said. “We are not turning away any nominations.”
South Buffalo VFD has hosted benefit truck and tractor pulls for the last two years. In 2019, they raised $30,000 for a six-year-old South Buffalo girl named Ella Conroy, who was fighting cancer.
Last year, the event was hosted in honor of a department friend who helped organize the prior year’s pull. The event raised about $46,000 to benefit his daughter.
This year, Pflueger said, the fire department is eager to help another family in need.
So far, Pflueger said, they’ve received about 10 nominations. They’re hoping to receive more before the May 8 nomination deadline.
Pflueger said she wants people to feel comfortable accepting support from the community and emphasized that people shouldn’t be embarrassed or ashamed.
“This isn’t a handout,” she said. “This is a community coming together to help someone through a temporary struggle.”
Pflueger will personally handle each nomination. She said she’s collecting information about the families’ struggles and journeys, as well as where they live and their contact information.
Once all the nominations have been collected, Pflueger will present them to the fire department’s benefit committee who will choose a nominee to benefit from their truck and tractor pull.
“We’ll know the right fit when we see it,” Pflueger said.
They will make their final decision by June 1.
Though they have not yet set a date for the benefit truck and tractor pull, Pflueger said they’re aiming to host the event in mid-October.
The pull will be an all-day event, Pflueger said. Last year’s event boasted a band and a car show, along with the truck and tractor pulls.
The event will showcase vehicles ranging from antique tractors to semi-trucks.
Pflueger said they are always looking for more volunteers. There are also sponsorship opportunities.
The fire department is hosting a series of smaller monthly truck and tractor pulls throughout the summer, beginning May 8 and running through September. Those events benefit the fire department, Pflueger said.
To nominate a family to be the recipient of the benefit truck and tractor pull, call Pflueger at 724-599-4563. Nominations will also be accepted via email at erinpflueger6@gmail.com and through direct message on the South Buffalo VFD Facebook page.