‘One of those good things.’ Boot Block returns to Lee’s Summit to help those in need

One of the more visible holiday giving traditions in Lee’s Summit is returning to the corner of Third and Douglas this week.

After collecting virtually last year because of the pandemic, off-duty Lee’s Summit firefighters will be collecting donations for the Needy Family Fund Boot Block from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 16, 17 and 18.

The donations benefit the Lee’s Summit Social Services, but the event also gives something to the firefighters.

“It gives us a chance to see people we don’t normally see. It’s a chance to have a positive interaction,” said Bryce Buchanan, a captain in the training division of the Lee’s Summit Fire Department and president of IAFF #2195, the union that organizes the event.

“We’re proud of it and what it has grown to.”

The event had a humble start with a 9-1-1 call in the mid-1970s, Buchanan said.

The firefighters who responded recognized the family’s hardships.

“They got together and got whatever the family needed,” Buchanan said. “The next year they picked a family (to help) and then it grew from there… ‘How can we help two families, three families or more.’”

The public fundraising event now known as the Boot Block started in the 1990s, Buchanan said.

Firefighters use retired boots to collect. The event has always been held at Third and Douglas in December.

Its success prompted the firefighters to form the Lee’s Summit Firefighters Charities, which not only organizes the Boot Block but other fundraisers for cancer support and awareness nonprofits such as Fight Dirty in Lee’s Summit.

“Firefighters are exposed to more carcinogens and have a higher cancer rate than the average citizen,” Buchanan said.

As for the Boot Block, Buchanan said it was logical that the firefighters team up with a nonprofit to distribute.

“That makes sure it is used the best as it can,” Buchanan said. “Lee’s Summit Social Services helps people with so many avenues, and not just during the holidays.”

The partnership is important to Lee’s Summit Social Services as well, said the agency’s executive director Matt Sanning.

“This is one of the most important fundraisers for us,” Sanning said. “The giving of the community has been amazing.”

Lee’s Summit Social Services provides about 30,000 services a year. Those services include basic needs such as rent and utility assistance, food, clothing, medical items, school supplies and holiday needs.

“Firefighters are not only heroes in their own role, they are among the most giving,” Sanning said.

In 2019, the Boot Block collected more than $30,000.

People may donate with cash or checks — made out to Lee’s Summit Firefighters Charities or Lee’s Summit Social Services. There also will be a QR code available for donations through PayPal.

And this year there has been an expansion of donation spots.

Several businesses along Ralph Powell Road in north Lee’s Summit are collecting for Boot Block.

Buchanan said the firefighters always look forward to the event.

“Holidays can be stressful, you need to find ways to alleviate those stresses like doing good things. This is one of those good things.”