AXTELL, Texas — The Axtell volunteer fire department alongside Amanda Ruble, a resident, are working together to raise $30,000 for a crucial tool needed in the community.
The city's ambulance service has an expired "Jaws of Life' tool, which can be critical in saving lives in some car accident. And car accidents, Amanda Ruble said, happen often in Axtell.
"We have two very dangerous intersections [Highway 31 and 2311, Highway 84 and 939] there are a lot of wrecks there," Ruble said. "And for them to dispatch Bellmead first - that's 15 or 20 minutes away - that's detrimental."
After learning that bit of information, she decided to put together a farmers market at the fire department every first and third Saturday of the month. She said vendor fee go to a fund to eventually by a new set of the life-saving tools.
After a few successful events, Ruble was contacted by the McLennan County Senior Sanitarian who said he had received complaints about the event not following the Texas Cottage Food Law Guidelines.
"We're making the best of it," Ruble said. "I had never even heard of that, so obviously I want to follow the rules because I want to keep our shoppers and vendors safe, but it was an inconvenience at first."
The person who complained ultimately tried to shut the show down according to Ruble, something that left her feeling uneasy.
"It was heartbreaking," Ruble said. "What if you're the person who gets in a wreck and you need the jaws of life? Do you want to be the person who shut down a fundraiser and now the fire department cant come and save you ... it was a kick in the gut but we learned from it."
Ruble worked with the county to make sure everything was prepared properly for the upcoming events so there would be no issues going forward.
She said they have already raised $15,000 and are halfway to the goal.
The next event is Saturday, October 3 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The events will continue through December and start back up again sometime in the Spring.
