VALDOSTA — Monday, the Valdosta Fire Department was presented with a $7,000 check from Cargill, a local feed mill. 

The funds will be used for equipment and training for the Georgia Search and Rescue Task Force 2 team that is based in Valdosta. Larry Tabor, manager of Cargill Valdosta Feed Mill, said the business likes to have a good relationship in the community.

“How better to serve our community than to give to the folks that help with search and rescue when people are in trouble,” Tabor said. “This will help with training when they need it.”

This is the first time the Valdosta location has donated funds after becoming Cargill from Southern States last year. Tabor said the donation will be a yearly event. 

“We get a budget every year to do something in the community,” he said. 

He said they also set days to volunteer in the community. Cargill shuts down the mill one day per year to volunteer out in the community, he said. 

“We also will be choosing odd days, not shutting the whole mill down, but having small groups go out and do something in the community,” Tabor said. “Whether it’s time or money, Cargill always gives back to the community.”

For the fire department, the donation will help them buy equipment needed for local rescues and some deployment rescues, said Jeffrey Thibodeau, VFD special operations captain.

“GSAR is comprised of about 50 members, and we have 33 more about to come on,” Thibodeau said. “That is a big task as far as logistics with personal protection equipment like helmets and gloves.”

Once the new members complete their remaining classes, all 33 firefighters will be added to the GSAR Task Force 2 team, according to the city.

Most of the work done by GSAR is on a volunteer basis. The team could be deployed for several weeks at a time, if not longer, a city press release states.

In past years, the team has responded to natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Baker County tornadoes and the wildfires in Ware and Atkinson Counties in 2007. More recently, the team was requested during Hurricane Irma and the Adel and Albany tornadoes.

“Anytime these businesses in the Valdosta community donate money to us, it’s a blessing,” Thibodeau said. “Donations like the one from Cargill help relieve the financial burden or constraints we have on buying equipment. A lot of times we are requesting funds a year in advance, and we can’t predict the future. If something happens to the equipment during a rescue we will need to replace it.”

Thomas Lynn is a government and education reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be reached at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256