Bemidji firefighters held their inaugural Fill the Boot fundraiser at Bemidji Brewing on Friday. Boot in hand, firefighters raised money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association one dollar at a time.

The seven firefighters from the Bemidji Fire Department sold beer glasses to raise the funds, all of which will go toward the MDA. Glasses sold for $10 without a free beer coupon and $12 to include the coupon. The goal for the firefighters’ first fundraiser is $1,000.

With an event like the Fill the Boot drive, Bemidji’s fire department is in the top ten in the nation for the amount of money raised during a community event for the MDA.

The work between the MDA and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has raised more than $679 million through the Fill the Boot drive in their 70 year partnership. The funds collected will go toward treatment options for muscular dystrophy.

By — Mary Balstad