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BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. — 37 pairs of pants, 18 jackets, and five pairs of boots are headed from the Lake Charter Township fire department in Berrien County to a fire department in Africa.
Firefighters aren’t allowed to keep gear for more than ten years, according to Lake Township Fire, a rule that isn’t enforced in other countries.
So rather than throwing it all away- the department had the gear professionally cleaned before shipping it off to Malawi.
A Bethel student and former chaplain for Niles Fire Department set up the donation, saying firefighters in Malawi battle fires largely without protection.
“It’s a blessing. So excited that they had to fill that, just thinking to help people in Africa, it’s a blessing,” said Mphatso Mwalwemi, a pastor in Malawi.
The donations are now en route. Organizers plan to get the gear to a US ministry who will then transport it to Africa.
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