Backstoppers is holding a boot drive today to raise funds for the nonprofit’s very important mission to first responders, but more on that later.
“We will be holding a fundraiser at the Walmart in Farmington from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and all proceeds will go to Backstoppers,” said Backstoppers Director Sheri Pratt. “It has been an annual event for many years, but we hold it at different times of the year.”
Pratt believes the community is beginning to understand the purpose of the Backstoppers after the murder of a Bonne Terre police officer and the serious injury of a deputy in March 2022.
“We need all the help we can get,” she said, adding that donations are usually collected in the trunks of firefighters or police officers. “Yes, firefighters and police officers will likely use boots. They have in the past. Police officers and EMS will be deployed and all first responders will be on scene.”
Asked how Backstoppers uses donations, Pratt said: “We support the families of seriously injured police officers, paramedics and firefighters who have fallen, and we support their children. We support them so that they can receive an education up to university.”