Mt. Tabor Fire Dept. Fries Up Delicious New Fundraising Idea

Parsippany's Fire District 1, the Mt. Tabor Volunteer Fire Company and its Auxiliary will host their first-ever Fish Fry Fundraiser May 17 from 5-7 p.m. at the Tabor Road firehouse.

Work on the event is underway, say organizers, and according to Fire Capt. Bryan Crawford, coming up with new ways to keep volunteer fire departments running is in this case, as always, a challenge.

"I think that it is tough to begin a new fundraiser for any volunteer or nonprofit organization," Crawford told Patch. "We got lucky a few years ago with the Haunted House because it was unique and attracted residents of all ages. An event like this just needs a lot of commitment from the members to go out and sell and hope that it picks up enough interest for us to raise some money."

All funds raised at the event will go toward the lifesaving operations of the MTVFD and the support services provided by the Auxiliary. Crawford says the work of the unsung heroes on the support side should not be discounted.

"It's great that our Auxiliary is so involved and finding new ways to raise funds," he said. "They are a group of go-getters and don't need to told what to do, as they came up with this idea."

Amy Hollner, president of the MTVFD Auxiliary explained the role of her group.

"The MTVFD Aux is comprised of community men and women who want to support the fire department, but may not be able or interested in being firefighters themselves," she said. "We provide on-scene support when needed, help with administrative tasks and fundraising efforts for the fire department."

The Auxiliary is also a giant force behind the Mt. Tabor company's annual Easter plant sales.

"We are hoping the fish fry dinner will be a successful fundraiser for the department as this is our first time hosting this event," said Hollner.   We encourage our community to come out and enjoy dinner with us."

The event will be accessible to lots of Parsippanians, Crawford said.

"The cool thing about this Fish Fry is we are offering many options," he explained. "You can sit and stay or take to go. There's chicken for those (like me) who don't care for seafood. And [the meal] comes with a side, coleslaw, a drink and dessert.  So if you don't want to spend the night, swing by on the way home from work and pick up dinner and support a good cause!"

For more information on the first-ever MTVFD Fish Fry, check out the group's Facebook page. 

Tickets may be purchased online; those bought in advance are discounted by $3 per ticket. The at-the-door ticket price is $18. Kids ages 12 and under pay $7.50.

Call the firehouse at 973-538-3047 for more information.