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Sweet! Valentine's Day Bake-Off To Help North Salem Ambulance Corps

NORTH SALEM, N.Y. -- Bakers, judges and tasters, sharpen your sweet tooths; the North Salem Volunteer Ambulance’s Valentine Cookie Competition is about to begin.

A cookie baking contest will be held next month to raised funds for the North Salem Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

A cookie baking contest will be held next month to raised funds for the North Salem Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

Photo Credit: North Salem Volunteer Abulance Corps

Well, actually, you still have plenty of time to shop for cinnamon, flour, chocolate and sprinkles; the bake-off isn’t going down until Sunday, Feb. 12.

Contestants will be able to show off their own creations, or trot out old family favorites, but even if you’re not a baker, there’s plenty of fun to be had.

Everyone, not just North Salem residents, can sample, and judge, the goodies from 12 noon to 3 p.m. at the ambulance corps building, 14 Daniel Road.

They can enter in three categories: children, ages 4-17; adults, ages 18-none of your beeswax; and local businesses.

There are a limited amount of spots, so register asap by email nscookiecomp@gmail.com or call (914) 662-6620.

The event, which is being sponsored by the North Salem Republican Committee, is a fundraiser for the ambulance corps, which needs to buy new equipment.

According to NSVAC Capt. Maria Hlushko, the 15-member corps really, really needs a new “stair chair.”

When it purchased its new ambulance a few years ago, it got a deal on a stretcher and a Stryker “stair chair.”

The one that is used with its 7-year-old ambulance is about two decades old, Hlashko said.

The handy device has a patented tread that allows anyone, not just emergency crews, to carry elderly, disabled or ailing patients safely down stairs.

The chairs cost between $4,000 and $5,000 smackers.

The corps, while not as busy as the one in nearby Somers, answers about 450 calls a year, Hlashko said.

While it works very closely with the township and fire department, it is not affiliated with either and receives “minimal financial support from tax dollars, according to the NSVAC website.

Only a small portion of its budget comes from other areas, meaning that the large majority of funds comes from insurance billing and donations from community members.

Those funds help buy new life-saving equipment and supplies and are also used to continue education and training for members.

There is no fee to enter the cookie contest, but donations of any amount will be gratefully accepted at the door.

To donate, or to find out more about the NSVAC, click here.

Besides bragging rights, contest winners will receive money gift cards, ribbons, their photo in the local press and – drum roll, please -- a lovely certificate declaring their cookie to be “the best” in North Salem.

They will be helping a vital community organization – and what could be sweeter than that?

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