The Southland Co-op held its Fuel Good Day on September 19 and donated $5,146.55 to STARS Air Ambulance.
As part of the event, $0.05 from every litre purchased at Southland Co-op gas bars in Assiniboia, Coronach, Lafleche and Mossbank was donated to STARS Air Ambulance.
“Fuel Good Day is one of many ways we fuel our communities, whether it’s by sharing profits with our members or supporting local organizations that are doing important work right here in our own backyard,” stated Ken Bahuaud, general manager of Southland Co-op.
Each Co-op location was also planning a barbecue lunch as an additional fundraiser for STARS, but the Assiniboia barbecue had to be cancelled due to rain. Fuel Good Day took place at 380 Co-op gas bars across Western Canada from B.C. to northern Ontario. Each Co-op selected a local charity, non-profit organization for the donation.
Southland Co-op chose to donate funds raised to STARS Air Ambulance. STARS has been around since 1985 flying over 36,000 missions, but it has only been operating in Saskatchewan for five years. STARS has six bases in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba with two in Saskatchewan. Altogether in the last year, STARS flew a combined 3,022 missions in these three provinces, including 874 in Saskatchewan.
STARS receives an average of 88 emergency calls a day and makes eight missions a day. It has flown missions in local communities, including four in Assiniboia, three in Bengough, six in Gravelbourg, one in Lafleche, one in Mossbank and four in Radville.
The most missions made last year in the province were 47 to Swift Current and 46 to Yorkton. STARS is the only helicopter air ambulance service in Saskatchewan.
A STARS helicopter is staffed by two pilots, one nurse and an advanced care paramedic, who are highly experienced with many years in emergency medicine and flying. On average, about half of calls are interfacility transport, estimated Meghan Burns from STARS Air Ambulance. STARS transports severely injured and trauma cases.
