A free barbecue chicken meal will be available to first responders July 19 at Jack Reed Park, said Lane Crawford, Master of the Moses Cook Lodge #111.

The first responder appreciation lunch will begin at 10 a.m. and continue until the food runs out, said Crawford. The meal will include barbecue chicken, baked beans, potato salad and a drink, Crawford said.

“When you have an emergency, you definitely want an ambulance to come pick you up and people in the ambulance who know what they’re doing, so we owe them a lot of gratitude for what they do for us,” said Lodge member Charles Manberg.

Community members who are not first responders can purchase the meals for $10, Crawford said. The cost will cover the food and any left over proceeds will go toward the cost of replacing an air conditioning unit at the Lodge, Crawford said.

The Picayune High School softball team will be delivering plates at the event, Crawford said.

“Hopefully, we can have a lot of participation, and hopefully we can feed a lot of first responders,” Crawford said.

Crawford said he would like to see a day set aside to show appreciation for first responders annually.

“They see the community through their eyes and we would just like to do something to let them know in our eyes that we appreciate them,” Crawford said.

Members of the Lodge hopes this event will be the first of many, now that there has been a slight increase in their membership, Crawford said.