Thrifting at PK: Hot finds to support our volunteer fire departmentsStory by Barbara Vinson

Top three pictures above: Thank you to the many volunteers from both the East and West Side Auxiliaries for all you do!

Discovering treasures while shopping at one of PK’s local volunteer fire department auxiliaries is a treat, because undiscovered treasures could be waiting to be found.

The Possum Kingdom East VFD and Possum Kingdom West VFD each support the needs of homeowners around the lake – and, as with any nonprofit organizations, these departments depend on donations and volunteers to keep things running while the firefighters are protecting their communities.

One way the community helps is by supporting the two auxiliaries’ flea market-type sales, and both auxiliaries accept new and gently used items to sell. Donations are tax-deductible, and all proceeds from these sales go to the volunteer fire departments.

PK East VFD Auxiliary

The auxiliary (affectionately called “The Flea” by many) was started in the 1970s and originally took place in the firehouse. It then moved to share space with the Lion’s Club and now uses the Lion’s Club building.

The auxiliary accepts donations at 142 LaVilla Road every Saturday morning from 9 a.m. until noon throughout the year, except on sales dates.

The auxiliary is unable to accept mattresses and asks that people take their mattresses to the county precinct instead. Donated mattresses force volunteers to transport them to the dump, and the mattresses also take up room in the auxiliary’s trash receptacle.

The auxiliary is open the third Saturday of each month except December, when the sale takes place on the second Saturday. Sale hours are 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., and shoppers are encouraged to arrive early, because a line starts forming around 8:30 a.m.

Proceeds from the PK East Auxiliary have helped fund a ladder truck, a brush truck, a “Jaws of Life” rescue tool, pop-up water tanks and a rescue truck.

Auxiliary volunteers are always welcome, and they gather each Saturday from 9 a.m. until noon. The auxiliary currently has 20 volunteers, with some driving in from Dallas, while four ladies come from Graham once or twice a month to volunteer and have lunch at the lake. Some volunteer every Saturday, while others come in during the week.

Auxiliary president Jim McTasney said it’s humbling to see how many hours it takes to keep the auxiliary running, and added that there have been many heartwarming stories involving donated items over the years. One such story involved a graduation picture of a young lady in a beautiful frame. The donated picture hung in the auxiliary for many years, until one day a young man walked in and said it was a picture of his aunt who lived in California. The auxiliary gave the picture to him, and he was able to reunite it with his aunt.

The biggest item donated was a Honda sport-utility vehicle that was purchased by Tracy Botkin.

Interestingly, some of the items found tucked among donated items have included passports, Social Security cards, checkbooks, dentures, and house, car and boat titles.

The auxiliary’s member at large, Carol Stanford, said she coordinates getting water bottles donated and making sandwiches when there are big fires, and she added that the response from the community is heartwarming. She said that when a house is destroyed by fire, volunteers open up the auxiliary to help the family restock household items and get clothing.

Possum Kingdom East Side VFD Auxiliary

President: Jim McTasney

Vice president: Tina Ulbrich

Member at large: Carol Stanford

Treasurer: Bobbie Martin

Secretary: Debby Wright

Parliamentarian: Shane Sloan

For more information, call McTasney at (817) 307-0306 or visit the website https://pkauxiliary.com/.

PK West VFD Auxiliary

For more than 20 years, Sue Tollison and many volunteers ran a garage sale to assist the PK West Side VFD. During that time, the auxiliary only was open on Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. On July 18, 2022, the PK West Side community was devastated by a fire on FM 1148, and on November 1, 2022, the Emergency Fire Committee was formed. The committee has 29 members who are dedicated to raising funds to assist the fire department. Amanda Farmer and Sheryl Phillips serve as the co-chairs of the committee.

In the event of a fire, Farmer and Phillips meet with the fire department’s dispatcher at the fire station to determine what is needed from auxiliary members. The telephone chairperson will then contact other committee members to ensure the auxiliary meets the needs of any displaced members of their community, including the allocation of food, water and shelter, and also will make sure the fire department has plenty of water and supplies in its emergency vehicles.

A garage sale takes place at 4809 Green Acres Road from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month from April through September. Since its inception, the committee has raised more than $50,000, with all of the proceeds from the auxiliary’s fundraising efforts going to the PK West VFD.

Sheri Lord, the auxiliary’s secretary, said all of the firefighters are volunteers who have families and jobs, and she noted that the auxiliary’s goal is to support them and their community. The auxiliary conducts a silent auction, bake sales and a raffle to raise money, with the silent auction taking place on the Fourth of July weekend at the Possum Hollow and Fox Hollow restaurants. The auxiliary also has a gun raffle drawing on Labor Day.

For additional information on these fundraisers, or on the requirements to becoming a volunteer, call (940) 549-9667.

The PK West Auxiliary also conducts an awards banquet to recognize firefighters, auxiliary and board members, and at its most recent awards banquet Foster Simmons was recognized for his 45 years of service.

Donations can be mailed directly to the PK West VFD at Green Acres Road, Graham, TX 76450. Donations also can be coordinated via the fire department’s webpage at www.pkwestvfd.com.

Possum Kingdom West Side Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary

President: Staci Riggins

Vice president: Locie Sebastian

Treasurer: Sherrie Hart

Secretary: Sheri Lord

For more information, call (940) 549-9667 or (432) 631-1394, or visit the website www.pkwestvfd.com. On Facebook, look for the PK West VFD Auxiliary page.

Make sure to save the dates for the sales at both PK auxiliaries. There aren’t many shopping opportunities where people can support their communities while having fun with friends and finding treasures at the same time.