GREENFIELD, Iowa — The Warren Cultural Center and the Iowa Rock 'n Roll Association held a benefit on Sunday for the Greenfield Volunteer Fire Department.
All of the proceeds will help the department rebuild after a deadly May tornado destroyed the fire station.
Five musicians performed at Greenfield Square for the benefit concert. Organizers hoped the live acts would drive people to the event, so they would open their pocket books for the cause.
“It’s just unfortunate that disaster had to come,” Adair County resident Karen Seley said. “It just emphasizes how the fire department is the same that they've always been. They've always been here for the community.”
Four months after the Greenfield EF-4 tornado, the fire station is mostly torn down and all that’s left now is remnants of a frame. Most of the firefighter gear and a fire engine were damaged in the tornado as well.
“Had it not been for one fire truck, it would have all been gone,” Greenfield Volunteer Fire Department Chief TJ Oder said. “That truck did not make it out of the storm in time, so it backed into the station, and it kind of held the station from completely going.”
The department never stopped serving its community, despite the fact that some of the firefighters even lost their own homes. While demolition continues on the fire station, firefighters are working out of a temporary facility outside of town.
“It’s just what we do, that’s how we operate, that's what it boils down to,” Oder said.
At the benefit, businesses and individuals alike donated gift baskets and baked goods for a live and silent auction. All of the money raised goes right to the Greenfield Volunteer Fire Department.
“We have a volunteer department here, so they're all full time workers on the side already,” benefit organizer Thaddeus Shawley said. “They've just been amazing in this community. I can't describe it.”
The Greenfield Volunteer Fire Department just recently had its first meeting with JEO Engineering Group. It expects the fire station to be fully rebuilt in a year or year and a half.
Money donations can still be made at the First National Bank in Greenfield or sent to P.O. Box 346, Greenfield, Iowa, 50849.