Donating cups o' joe to San Ramon Valley firefighters
San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District firefighters received more than 20,000 cups worth of free coffee to drink while on duty, courtesy of a Northern California coffee company.
The San Francisco Bay Coffee Co. donated 222 bags of coffee beans and grounds and 90 boxes of single-serve coffee cups to the San Ramon Valley Firefighters Association on Thursday morning as part of the company's effort to support regional firefighters.
"We are honored to support firefighters who risk their lives for and help countless people in our communities throughout their careers," said Jon B. Rogers, founder and president of the Lincoln-based coffee company.
San Ramon Valley fire chief Paige Meyer and Capt. Mike Mohun were on hand for the donation drop-off at Fire Station 38 in San Ramon.
"Coffee is a tradition around the whole firehouse," Meyer said. "For the firefighters, it's really like a comfort food. To have this donation of something they normally pay out of pocket for, I know they feel ecstatic."
In all, San Francisco Bay Coffee Co. gave the local firefighters union 102 two-pound bags of whole bean coffee, 60 12-ounce bags of whole coffee beans, 60 12-ounce bags of ground coffee and 90 boxes of its single-serve coffee OneCups -- each box contained 12 One-Cups, which are 98.5 compostable.
The company recently started a program to donate coffee to firefighters and departments in the Bay Area, inspired to help locally after contributing money and supplies to support victims of devastating wildfires in Butte and Lake counties last year, according to company officials, who said "it's part of our way of giving back."
Also attending the donation event were Warren Yamauchi, the company's director of corporate giving, as well as Thomas D. Gallinatti, chairman and CEO of Police and Fire: The Fallen Heroes, a Walnut Creek-based nonprofit that honors and supports families of California fire and police personnel who die in the line of duty.
