Harmony Fire District volunteers and auxiliary members filled two trucks with gifts and delivered them to local nursing homes Tuesday.

HARMONY — Harmony Fire District volunteers and auxiliary members filled two trucks with gifts and delivered them to local nursing homes Tuesday night, in the culmination of the district's first “Stuff-A-Truck.”

The district filled both their rescue truck and a pickup truck and delivered them to patients at The Grove at Harmony and Creek Meadows.

“The auxiliary tries to do a community service every year,” said Joann Rader, auxiliary president.

“We try to find a family in the community that maybe had a fire or is down on their luck or something.”

With all of the charitable efforts and events by local churches and organizations, Rader said it wasn't easy to find an group in need this year.

“So we've been struggling trying to find people. The local churches do a lot for people like that,” she said.

“So we got together at one of our meetings and decided to do a stuff-a-truck. We thought, 'who really isn't thought about this time of year as much as everyone else?' And we went with the elderly community.”

The auxiliary's goal was to stuff one rescue truck full of gifts. The group ended up with enough to fill a pickup truck as well.

“(We collected) 450 gifts for local nursing home residents,” Stephanie Garing, auxiliary vice president said. “We set boxes up at local businesses for drop off locations.”

Rader credited the community, local businesses and fire district volunteers for making the event a success.

“We drove the train, but the community was really the ones who donated,” said Rader. “Local businesses really stepped it up.”

She also thanked district volunteers for showing up, loading the truck and delivering the gifts to the homes.