Volunteer fire departments depend on fund-raisers like bingo night. But in Hempfield Township volunteers have canceled all plans to have bingo on Monday afternoons until June because of a lack of participation.

The main reason is because of the low turnout on Friday nights, said Vicki Vandergrift, manager of the department's Station One Banquet Center. She said during the winter months there isn't a huge "surplus of cash coming in," which makes it hard to maintain fund-raisers.

Brian Vandergrift, an employee at Station One, said, "We were afraid we would lose money. There's a low turnout on Friday nights, so we figured there would probably be a worse turnout on Mondays. We didn't think it'd do well."

Mrs. Vandergrift said Monday night bingo was also thwarted after two of the five workers were unable to volunteer and help out.

"One worker is ill and another got a full-time job," she said. "We have all volunteer firemen that come in and work, and that's what helps us."

Brian Vandergrift said another reason the department canceled Monday bingo was because volunteers were afraid they'd lose more money than they gain.

The department will continue having fund-raisers like Friday night bingo, along with weekly dinners and hosting banquets, receptions and business and training meetings to "try and make ends meet," Mrs. Vandergrift said.

"We're thinking of maybe starting Monday nights again in June," she said. "But things have been slow through the last couple of months."

Other Hempfield VFD fund-raisers are: