To help keep an American Red Cross representative in the area the Picayune Fire Department will conduct a boot drive as part of the city’s effort to support the Red Cross Heroes campaign.

Within the next year Red Cross will run out of funding to keep a representative in Pearl River County. To help keep a Red Cross representative here beyond that point, they have approached the community to help raise $20,000 through the Heroes campaign.

The campaign recruits members of the community to formulate ways to raise money to help the Red Cross help others.

The City of Picayune has asked the Picayune Fire Department to conduct a boot drive where fire fighters stand at intersections in Picayune with a fireman’s boot in which to collect money.

Fire Chief Keith Brown said the department will conduct its boot drive on Saturday, at the intersection of U.S. 11 and Canal Street. Firefighters will be in the area from 9 until 11 a.m., he said.

Brown said that in the past, boot drives would be held at two intersections, including the intersection of Miss. 43 N. and U.S. 11, but with the increase in traffic since Hurricane Katrina, he believes it would be easier to maintain one.

“We’re going to just pool our resources there and see what we can do there for a few hours,” Brown said. “We’re just trying to support the effort because it’s a good thing.”

Brown said Red Cross presence is beneficial to the county in times of need.

Figures provided by the Red Cross state $1,000 can provide families with all kinds of assistance, such as providing shoes and clothing to two families of four who lost their home due to a fire or natural disaster or roof repairs for two storm damaged homes.