Firefighters' plan annual MD 'boot' collection Aug. 14

Fairfield firefighters will conduct their annual "Fill the Boot" fundraising drive for the Muscular Dystrophy Association on Saturday, Aug. 18, outside Trader Joe's on Blackrock Turnpike.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fairfield's Bravest will at the 2258 Black Rock Turnpike grocery store soliciting donations that kids and grown ups alike can drop into a tall boot, the firefighters' union said in a news release.

The drive is being conducted by Fairfield Local 1426 of the International Association of Fire Fighters.

All proceeds go directly to the Muscular Dystrophy Association for research, treatment, medical devices for those afflicted with the disease and other purposes, according to the release.

Muscular dystrophy refers to a group of more than 30 inherited diseases that cause muscle weakness and muscle loss -- many leaving children in wheelchairs, according to the National Institutes of Health.

All forms of MD grow worse as the patient's muscles get weaker, and most patients eventually lose the ability to walk.

There is no cure, and the MDA says it sponsors about 300 research project annually

The international firefighters' union has been raising money fight MD for nearly 60 years, the union said, and has donated $450 million since 1954, making it the charity's largest national sponsor.

The Fairfield local said it has raised more than $100,000 for the charity in it's seven-year partnership with Trader Joe's.

Most of that money has come from the contributions of Fairfield residents and visitors to the town, according to the release.

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Firefighters' plan annual MD 'boot' collection Aug. 14