T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK Hanover Fuel Stop is working with the Martins Ferry Lions Club to offer a discount on food for first responders Sept. 11-18 as part of the Lions Club global service initiative, Celebrate Community.

MARTINS FERRY — Community service will take center stage the week of Sept 11-18 as the Martins Ferry Lions Club and Hanover Fuel Stop partner to offer discounted meals.

They will also have a daily drawing that week, giving a first responder a chance to win a gift card to use at the city’s annual Fall Fest, scheduled to take place Oct. 14 at the Martins Ferry City Park.

Barb Ballint, senior projects chairwoman for Lions Club, said the club is participating in the global service week initiative Celebrate Community.

The campaign is a joint initiative from the service organizations Lions International, Kiwanis International, Optimist International and Rotary International.

The purpose of the global service week initiative is to strengthen communities and improve lives. Celebrate Community encourages clubs and youth programs around the world to work together.

“We are letting each of the departments know about it. One of our club members is actually a first responder also,” Ballint said, adding the EMS, fire and police departments are included. “They can stop down at Hanover Fuel, place an order for food or whatever and get their discount there.”

Ballint said first responders will get $5 off of a one-time purchase.

The Lions Club is also collecting names of all of Martins Ferry’s first responders.

“Once we receive all those names of the first responders, we’ll do a daily drawing. We’ll post the winner of the daily drawing on the Lions Club Facebook page, and then that winner will receive a gift card to our food truck or beverage area during Fall Fest.

“We want to keep our funds within our community and support a local small business, so that’s why we decided to work with Hanover Fuel Stop,” Ballint said.

Ballint said the Martins Ferry Lions Club decided it was most appropriate to recognize the community’s first responders during the service organization’s second annual Celebrate Community initiative.

“With the campaign starting on Sept. 11, we wanted to show our gratitude to our first responders. One thing that stands out in my mind about that day, Sept. 11, 2001, is when everyone was running away from that horrific tragedy, the first responders were running to it,” she said. “That is what our responders do when they are called to an emergency situation, and they do a great job! This makes our community a great place to live.”

Bruce Schrodes, club member, agreed.

“Our organization is basically a group of volunteers that tries to make our community a better place to live,” Shrodes said. “And we feel that we have some of the best first responders around.”

Ballint added that the Martins Ferry Lions Club has long been active in service. She recalled a recent major waterline break in mid-August.

“We supplied the workers with pizza and refreshments because of course they were working hours upon hours to get the water back on,” she said. “It’s just about supporting the community. On an everyday basis, it’s about making the community a better place to live.”

Lions Clubs International is the largest service club organization in the world. More than 1.4 million members in over 48,000 clubs are serving in 200 countries and geographic areas around the globe. Since 1917, Lions have strengthened local communities through hands-on service and humanitarian projects, and extended their service impact through the generous support of the Lions Clubs International Foundation. They are focused on supporting vision, the environment, childhood cancer, hunger, diabetes, and other pressing humanitarian needs to help address some of the biggest challenges facing humanity.

For more information about Lions Clubs International, visit lionsclubs.org.

The Hanover Fuel Stop is located at 109 Hanover St. in Martins Ferry.