Schaumburg Firefighters provide Christmas gifts for families in need

On December 1st, the Schaumburg Firefighters Benevolent Association organized their 28th annual Christmas Shopping for Families In Need.

Firefighters adopted 12 families through the Schaumburg Township and spent $5,000 purchasing presents, including clothing, toys, games, books, bedding and gift cards. Also this year, gifts were purchased to help a fellow Village of Schaumburg employee's effort to provide gift bags for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House near Lurie Children's Hospital.

The gifts were wrapped by the firefighters and their families along with 6th graders from Hoover Elementary School in Schaumburg.

This annual event began in 1990 when two firefighters shopped for a single mom and her son and a local senior. Over the years, it has grown into dozens of firefighters and their families shopping for 12 families.

An additional $5,000 donation was made to the Schaumburg Township Food Pantry to restock their shelves after the Thanksgiving holiday.

The money was raised through the annual Schaumburg Firefighter's Charity Softball Tournament which, over the last 25 years, has raised over $700,000.