Atwood wins donation for Packwood Fire and Rescue

PACKWOOD ? Using a portable radio to make a call for backup can make all the difference when rescuing people from a burning building or pulling a farmer out of a grain bin.

Thanks to one local farmer and America?s Farmers Grow Communities, Packwood Fire and Rescue can continue to make those calls and keep its community and surrounding area safe.

Grow Communities, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, gives farmers the opportunity to win $2,500 for their favorite local nonprofit organizations. Jeremy Atwood was the winning farmer in Jefferson County. The donation will be used to purchase new portable radios.

?I joined as a volunteer this past year, and we can use updated equipment,? Atwood said. ?I think Grow Communities is a great program that?s really benefitting organizations like Packwood Fire and Rescue.?

In a ceremony March 26, Atwood got the chance to present Packwood Fire and Rescue with the $2,500 donation.

Through America?s Farmers Grow Communities:

? Farmers in 1,245 eligible counties have the chance to win $2,500 for their favorite community nonprofit organizations.

? The Monsanto Fund has invested more than $3.1 million to rural communities this year alone.

? More than $247,500 in total will be donated to nonprofits in Iowa

? A list of all winners and more information can be found at  www.growcommunities.com

?We will use the portable radios on our fire and accident sites,? said Dave Hollingsworth, Packwood fire chief.

Grow Communities is part of a broad commitment by the Monsanto Fund to invest in farm communities such as Jefferson County. It aims to highlight the important contributions farmers, such as Atwood, make every day to society.