Two rural Webster County fire departments are finding new ways to give back to their communities during this COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

On March 28, the Farnhamville Fire Department announced on its Facebook page that it was offering grocery and essential items delivery for area residents.

Farnhamville-area families are invited to call Al Jacobson at 515-544-3780 or Cheryl Pearson at 515-544-3665 for assistance.

A few weeks later, Chris Wendell, Badger mayor and volunteer firefighter with Badger Fire Rescue, learned about what the Farnhamville department was doing and thought that would be a great thing for the Badger department to do for its community.

Any resident aged 60 or older in the Badger fire district is invited to reach out to Badger Fire and Rescue for assistance picking up groceries or other essential items. Residents can call and leave a message at the fire station at 515-545-3125, or call Wendell at 515-545-4444.

Mike Magruder, a captain at Badger Fire and Rescue, said it took some planning to figure out the logistics, but eventually they got it — the volunteers from the department could pick up mobile and online orders at stores like Hy-Vee, Target or Walmart, or they could pick up a shopping list from the resident and go to the store for them and the resident can pay with a check later.

“The reason why we’re doing this is our fire department is a very community-oriented fire department,” Magruder said. “We serve the town of Badger, plus 70 square miles.”

As an all-volunteer fire department, Badger Fire and Rescue is often supported by members of the community, who donate and participate in their fundraisers, keeping the department running.

“We felt like we could do this and help those in the 60 and over age range so they don’t have to go to the grocery stores and possibly get the virus,” Magruder said.

The volunteers will wear masks and gloves as they grocery shop or pick up the orders, and they will coordinate with the resident to find a way to deliver the items without direct contact.

It made sense to the members of Badger Fire and Rescue to offer this service during this scary and uncertain time.

“We get in this line of work because we like serving our community,” Magruder said. “It’s a sense of community pride.”

Knowing the risks the COVID-19 coronavirus pose to older adults, volunteering to deliver groceries and help limit these residents’ possible exposure to the virus was the neighborly thing to do, Magruder said.

“I feel that it’s important to give back this way because a lot of members of our community, we know them by name,” he said. “We have parents, grandparents that are older folks and if we can do something to help protect them and provide a service for them, it’s just the right thing to do.”