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YULEE – Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation and Hoods for Heroes will be celebrating a lifesaving equipment grant valued at $20,000 during a 10:30 a.m. dedication event on Friday, Aug. 23 at Nassau County Fire & Rescue Headquarters, located at 96160 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL, 32097. 

“Hoods for Heroes is honored to be awarded this grant from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. This grant will go directly towards reducing deadly carcinogen exposures to over 200 firefighters throughout Florida,” said Hoods for Heroes Co-Founder Jeff Rountree. “Partnering with the Foundation is a great opportunity to raise awareness and save lives. Our mission is to keep firefighters safe and this collaboration will allow us to do exactly that,” added Co-Founder Bill Hamilton.

            In addition to the delivery of 70 particulate barrier hoods to the Nassau County Fire Rescue, the event will celebrate a total of 217 hood deliveries from Hoods for Heroes to various departments thanks to the Foundation’s grant award. 

Receiving departments include: 

Nassau County Fire Rescuewill be receiving 70 new hoods, bringing the total hoods donated to the department by Hoods for Heroes to 125.

Baker County Fire Departmentwill be receiving 40 hoods. 

Immokalee Fire Control Districtwill be receiving 33 hoods.

Macclenny Fire Rescuewill be receiving 16 hoods.

Ocala Fire Rescuewill be receiving 58 hoods. 

Event attendees include representatives from Hoods for Heroes and Nassau County Fire Rescue, Nassau County Fire Chief Brady Rigdon, as well as Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation Executive Director Robin Peters, Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation Events and Outreach Coordinator Nancy Palmer,Director of Company Operations Steve Kaplan, and Vice President of Field Operations Meg Rose.  

Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation was founded in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Firehouse Subs co-founders, Chris Sorensen and Robin Sorensen, traveled to Mississippi where they fed first responders and survivors. As they traveled back to Florida, they knew they could do more and Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation was bornwith the mission of providing funding, lifesaving equipment and educational opportunities to first responders and public safety organizations. Since inception, the non-profit organization has granted more than $44 million to hometown heroes in 49 states, Puerto Rico and Canada, including more than $7.1 million in Florida.

To raise money for the Foundation, Firehouse Subs restaurants participates in a number of fundraising efforts. Each restaurant recycles leftover, five-gallon pickle buckets and sells them to guests for $2. Donation canisters on register counters collect spare change, while the Round Up Program allows guests to “round up” their bill to the nearest dollar. Grant allocations are made possible thanks to the overwhelming support of Firehouse Subs restaurants and generous donors.