
DERBY — PLEASE NOTE THIS FUNDRAISER WAS CANCELED ON TUESDAY DEC 22.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the Derby Fire Department to cancel major fundraisers such as boot drives and in-person dinners, so members of The Paugasett Hook & Ladder Fire Co. #4 are trying something different this month to raise money around the holidays.
The Paugies are now selling Christmas porketta dinners for $25. Orders will be taken until Dec. 15.
The company, which has a food license from the Naugatuck Valley Health District (not to mention a big kitchen), will sell the porkettas, cooked or uncooked. Orders can be placed by calling Lt. Eddie Biggs at 203 – 517-7397 or by email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
The porkettas can be picked up at the firehouse, located at 57 Derby Ave. on Dec. 22 or Dec. 23, in a safe, contactless manner. All people need to do is drive into the firehouse parking lot, pop open their trunk and a firefighters will place the porketta inside.
The Paugies are already well-known in Derby for their porketta skills.
“We have heard from a great deal of the people that routinely attend the dinners monthly asking when we are going to start again,” Fire Captain Charles Stankye, III. ​“Not a day goes by that we don’t hear from somebody asking. They really miss the dinners and camaraderie that goes along with the dinners. We cannot accommodate all the people in the firehouse with all the health restrictions. We decided that the safest and most efficient way to re-establish our fundraising efforts was to sell the porkettas for Christmas.”
The volunteer firefighters will prepare the porkettas themselves, using their ​“famous” seasoning, which includes their own homegrown and harvested fennel.
“We spice, roll and tie each roast by hand ourselves … it can’t get any fresher than that,” said Stankye, who’s been a volunteer firefighter for 46 years, serving as past chief of the Derby Fire Department and currently serving his third term as a Commissioner on the State of Connecticut Commission on Fire Prevention & Control.
Stankye said, thanks to the company’s fundraising efforts, they’ve been able to purchase, in part, a thermal imaging camera for the city when the technology first came out, as well as an ATV used to access woods and other areas that can’t be reached by regular fire vehicles during emergencies.
Stankye said while this year has been undoubtedly difficult for everyone, he’s excited to offer the public a chance to enjoy a tasty porketta for their Christmas dinner.
“We are all affected by this terrible pandemic,” he said. ​“We haven’t been able to assemble together in our firehouse, have meetings, train or just socialize. Our members and friends have been locked down for months without socializing together. By selling the porkettas we are showing the public that we are still there serving them. These are rough times and people are doing without a lot. This way, people can support the frontline volunteers who have been out there serving them since the beginning of this pandemic, risking their health for the citizens. They can support the firemen and enjoy a great meal at the same time. This will bring a little joy in a time and atmosphere like we have never been in before.”