CHUBBUCK — The Chubbuck Fire Department wants to raise $15,000 during its annual Fill the Boot fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, but faces the challenge of doing it this year during the time of COVID-19.

Last year, the department’s firefighters raised about $15,000 in just one day, said firefighter Eric Wojcik-Bryan.

But Wojcik-Bryan, who’s teaming with firefighter Scott Holm to organize this year’s effort, says it’s a whole different paradigm now due to the pandemic.

In prior years, the department’s firefighters would personally collect donations from motorists along the streets as part of a national effort by fire departments.

But getting that close to other people to collect donations this year was ruled out, the 24-year-old Wojcik-Bryan said.

“MDA requested that and for us I think that that’s the safest option,” he said. “Not to say that we wouldn’t be out — all of us be out — in the streets, we totally would. But just with everything going on there’s just too much of a high risk there.”

Instead, the department will fundraise online until the end of September to try to produce its usual mount of money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, he said.

The department hopes to duplicate the success of last year’s event.

But he says it could prove challenging to again raise $15,000.

“I’m a little worried because normally it’s a lot more public and people can see us,” Wojcik-Bryan said. “And normally people see the firefighters and say, ‘Oh yeah, I want to get involved.’”

That’s the benefit of a strong physical presence.

“But when it’s more — a lot more — online based it’s going to be a lot more kind of word-of-mouth and friends of friends,” he said.

So that’s why he’s trying to get basically everyone at the department to share the fundraiser information with all their friends, Wojcik-Bryan said.

He says just getting involved with his part in the effort has been rewarding. And he hopes that the department’s efforts will bear fruit.

“You feel good about it,” he said. “It’s that feeling you get when you do something nice for someone else.”

He says that’s the best way to describe it.

“It’s a feeling of gratitude because I’m able to give back to other people,” he said.

He says the more people who get the word out about the fundraiser the better. And even if people can’t donate directly they can still help.

People who want to donate directly can just go to Facebook and donate, he said. But if they can’t afford a donation letting others know about it will still help.

“Just spreading the word-of-mouth is probably going to be our best weapon to really get this going,” he said. “But donations you know obviously we would love and the MDA would love.”

He said the effort is new for him and he’s still learning it.

“But I’m excited,” he said. “I hope that we do well and we can do a decent donation to MDA.”

He said they have a great community and he’s looking forward to the challenge.

People can find where to donate via Facebook just by typing in “Chubbuck Fire Department” and it should pop right up, he said.

And donors can also go to the Muscular Dystrophy Association website.

“You go to their website and you search for Chubbuck,” Wojcik-Bryan said. “You can actually donate directly from there, too. So there’s two options to donate to that.”

In addition, the department is looking at another fundraising approach.

“We might be setting up some booths at some businesses around town so that people can you know drop off donations there, too,” he said.

That would provide a good alternative method to donate to the cause.

“So it would be a little bit less contact,” he said. “Not face to face.”

And then at the end of the fundraiser they could pull the donations into a deposit and basically make the donation online, he said.

Meanwhile, Wojcik-Bryan, who’s been a firefighter for four years, said he’s enjoying the work and getting involved with the department.

“I like to be able to give back and try to help people,” he said.

He adds that the fire department has a supportive community that takes care of them. And he feels like he should return that support as much as possible, he said.

That’s one of the many things he loves about his job as a Chubbuck firefighter.

“It’s a dream job,” he said. “It’s great. I love giving back to the community. I love doing what I do.”

It’s a really fulfilling career, he said.

“Honestly I can’t imagine myself doing anything else in my life,” he said. “I just feel like I was meant to do this.”