The Pioneer Co-Op thought of a unique way to give back to their customers this past holiday season instead of hosting a Christmas party.

They sent out their annual Christmas cards to the agronomy customers and rather than having the gathering they had them vote for which local fire departments should receive a donation.

Jennifer Bingham, lead agrologist for the Pioneer Co-Op, said they knew they'd have to cancel the party but they wanted to give back to customers somehow and given the number of fires the fire departments had to contend with last year, they thought it was a pretty easy choice.

"We did the vote because we wanted to make a substantial donation to five of them so they could actually use it for something," she said.

Over 20 fire departments were included in the voting list and after the votes were tabulated, five winners were announced; the Abbey Fire Department, the Morse Fire Department, the Hodgeville Fire Brigade, the Vanguard Fire Department, and the Herbert Fire Department.

"The ones that we were able to drop off in person, they were very grateful," she said. "Unfortunately with COVID we've had to mail a few of them so I think they might be a little surprised when they get the cheque."

Each fire department will receive $1,000 from the Co-Op and the funds won't be earmarked either.

"It's open because every fire department has different needs," she said. "They might find that they need more equipment or more training, but that's up to them to determine because they know their department best."

The Shaunavon agronomy location used their money towards sponsoring the fireworks for the Christmas light display.