Local business feeds first responders

CRESTVIEW — Area first responders enjoyed a free lunch Wednesday, courtesy of a local business.

Crestview Rehabilitation Center held a cookout May 9 to show their appreciation for first responders from around Crestview and Okaloosa County.

Members of the Crestview Police Department, Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, Crestview Fire Department and Okaloosa EMS all showed up to enjoy hamburgers and hot dogs cooked by CRC staff.

“What we’re hoping to do is to offer this as a thank you to our first responders in Okaloosa County,” Tammi Dingess, the center’s director of admissions, said. “We are constantly utilizing their services, so we just want to say thank you to them for all that they do in our community.”

Dingess said that the Crestview Fire Department had RSVP’d for 45 firefighters, and that they planned for around 150 people to attend.

The center is planning to hold cookouts for first responders twice a year, one in spring and one in fall. They also plan to have more community outreach events in the future.

“Having it right here in May, it’s a little warm out here today, but at least there’s a nice breeze,” she said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Local business feeds first responders