STOKES COUNTY, N.C. — A hot plate and smiles are what a Triad community is serving to first responders working the Sauratown Mountain Fire — as a way to say 'thank you' for all the hard work they're doing.
Sauratown's first responders have a lot of pride in protecting people in Stokes County. Especially around the holidays when needed.
"If a fire comes in or a wreck comes in, you've got to go' that's why you're here. Tomorrow, some of us will spend the biggest part of our day up here on Thanksgiving and that's just part of it but you know, you have to sacrifice to be a volunteer," Sauratown Volunteer Fire Department Chief Wayne Barneycastle said.
To make working on this Thanksgiving a bit easier, the owner of John Brown's Country Store, Brian Brown, has been serving hot plates to these first responders for the past couple of nights.
He’s also a volunteer firefighter and has been for over 20 years. He too takes pride in protecting Sauratown.
"If you were born here, you know that inside feeling when it comes to seeing that mountain, Brown shared. "What we're thankful for? All the rain! So, we've got a lot to be thankful for, our mountains are still there."
It's unfortunate what has happened here — the burning of hundreds of acres, but despite the tragedy, community members have recognized they still have something to be thankful for.
"There was a lot of opportunity and potential for loss in houses, in youth camps, in staples to our community. Because of the hard work that's being done around here, the rain is a God send. It came just at the right time to do what it has done. It's a beautiful thing on the night before Thanksgiving," Volunteer and Lifelong Sauratown Resident Ashley Mitchell said.
These first responders will still be heading up to Sauratown Mountain on Thanksgiving Day. Because of that dinner will still be served.
PHOTOS: Stokes County community feeds Sauratown Mountain firefighters working on Thanksgiving
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