The MillerCoors company has started a campaign to donate money to an organization that supports wildland firefighters. Images like the one above are appearing on trucks and billboards in some western states.
Through the Coors Banquet “Protect Our West” program, the company will contribute 25 cents to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation (WFF) for every case of the beer sold in select states in the Western region throughout July and August, up to $250,000. The non-profit WFF assists firefighters and the families of firefighters injured or killed while battling vegetation fires.
The 25-cents-per-case donation applies to cases of Coors Banquet sold in Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
From comments on the WFF Facebook page, it appears that the firefighter featured in the photo is Josh Ross who has worked on the Roosevelt Hotshots. In keeping with the tradition of firefighters buying beer for their comrades if their photo is seen in public media, a “jury” decided that Mr. Ross must buy two kegs of beer by the end of the season. “The jury went easy on me”, he wrote.
In other efforts to donate funds to the WFF, during July and August Coors Banquet will donate $100 for every double play turned by the Seattle Mariners to the Foundation. The company anticipates donating over $5,000 during the course of the campaign. And, the Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company will give $1 to the WFF for every pint of a special beer they recently introduced that is named after the Slide Fire which burned near Oak Creek Canyon north of Sedona, Arizona in May.
If you have not already, please join, or re-join, the 52 Club to help the WFF support firefighters and the families of firefighters injured or killed while on the job.
The name of the firefighter has been corrected.
Thanks and a hat tip go out to Jim.