On Christmas Eve, the Township of Langley Firefighter Charitable Society (TLFCS) gave $1,000 to the Salvation Army Gateway of Hope shelter.

It was the 12th and final day of the charity’s annual 12 Days of Giving, now in it’s third year, where daily $1,000 donations are made to deserving charitable groups in the run-up to Christmas.

Nick Short, a firefighter and co-director of the TLFCS, explained the list is chosen through a poll of members.

“We try our best to do local charities,” Short told the Langley Advance Times.

“We want to help them out.”

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On the 11th day, the fund donated to the Abbotsford Disaster Relief Fund.

“This year, with all the floods, we decided to support the Abbotsford flood relief effort,” Short explained.

In making the donation, the Langley firefighters charity thanked “Abbotsford Fire Rescue Services, the Agassiz Fire Department, Chilliwack Fire Department and all the other front line emergency services that [helped] keep our people safe during this natural disaster.”

Other beneficiaries this year included Langley’s Critter Care Wildlife Society, Ishtar Transitional Housing Society, Langley Special Olympics, Aldergrove’s Community Station House (with Langley Meals on Wheels), Sources Food Bank Langley, Aldergrove Pacific Riding for Developing Abilities, Langley Community Support Groups Society, Aldergrove’s Wagner Hills recovery centre, and the Nicomekl Enhancement Society.

On the fifth day of giving, a contribution was made to the Canadian Cancer Society, with the society noting cancer was responsible for 66 per cent of line-of-duty firefighter deaths from 2002 to 2019, and firefighters are 15 per cent more likely to die from cancer than the general public.

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In addition to the $12,000 distributed during the 12 Days of Giving campaigning, the society also donated $10,000 to the B.C. Professional Firefighters Burn Fund at the 24th Annual Bright Nights fundraiser event in Stanley Park.