By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

The Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department will host yet another fundraising event next month.

On Friday, Nov. 8, the OPVFD welcomes residents to the Ocean Pines Community Center at White Horse Park for a bingo night. The event will feature cash prizes, 50/50 raffles, and pull tabs. Grateful Grub Food Truck will be onsite for attendees to fuel up.

OPVFD President Joe Enste said the event was inspired by the department’s annual spring bingo night, which attracts over 200 participants. While that occasion will remain in the group’s yearling fundraising rotation, the firefighters wanted to add a similar but smaller evening.

“We plan to continue [the spring] tradition, but we are now introducing a more intimate bingo night at the Ocean Pines Community Center,” Enste noted.

The department is selling just 150 tickets at $40 each to align with the maximum capacity limit of the Ocean Pines Association Community Center’s Assateague Room, where the November bingo event will be held. The group also wanted to use the attendance cap to increase the participant’s odds of winning. Less than 90 tickets remained as of Thursday, Oct. 10. The firefighter maintained that tickets would sell out.

The bingo night will help raise funds for the department. The money collected from the event will be used for the fire group’s apparatus replacement program, the acquisition of Personal Protective Equipment, and the South Station building project.

The current South Station building is outdated and does not meet the department’s needs. In July, the OPVFD and the OPA Board of Directors signed a Memorandum of Understanding outlining each party’s role in funding and constructing the updated facility.

The groups are in regular communication, and the initiative is expected to break ground within the next year or two.

Per the agreement, the fire department is trusted to make a “diligent and organized effort” to secure private donors and fundraising for the structure. Events like the Nov. 8 bingo help garner such financial support.

“Each of these initiatives is vital to ensuring that we continue to provide safe and efficient emergency services to our community,” Enste said. “…Our fundraising efforts play a crucial role in ensuring that we can continue to serve the community with the highest standards of safety and preparedness. The funds raised help us provide top-quality training, equipment, and resources, all while maintaining a cost-effective approach for the benefit of our residents.”

The OPVFD hopes that in addition to raising money to increase the neighborhood’s safety, the bingo night will bring OPA residents together.

“We believe that through activities like bingo, we offer a chance for community members to connect with one another in a fun and relaxed environment while also fostering stronger relationships with their local first responders,” Enste said. “…Ultimately, these events help us engage with the community on a deeper level while ensuring the continued excellence of the Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department.”

Participants will also have the option to pick up tickets for the fire department’s truck raffle and the Queen of Hearts fundraising initiative during the bingo event.

Bingo tickets can be purchased at https://opvfd.com/cash-bingo/. Twenty games will be played, with 18 $50 winners, one $250 winner, and one $500 winner. Per gaming regulations, participants must be 21 to enter. Doors will open at 5 p.m., and bingo will begin at 6 p.m.