With Memorial Day behind us, and summer officially starting, it is important to remember the everyday heroes in our lives – and not just the ones in the Armed Forces. Local firefighters are a vital part to any community. These men and women are often the first responders to all emergencies and departments are mostly made up of volunteers. Although there is an official day to celebrate the work fire departments do (May 4th), there’s a family in North Carolina trying to start a new tradition.

To honor their fallen hero, Richard Sheltra’s family is asking people from all 50 states to give a batch of chocolate chip cookies to their own local fire department. Sheltra was a volunteer firefighter from Pineville, NC who died on duty in April 2016. His family is hoping to do this today to honor what would have been his 21st birthday. To find out more about Richard Sheltra’s family, click here.

CFD Fire Station 40 looks like you've got some cookies coming tomorrow in honor of Richard Sheltra #PVFD73 pic.twitter.com/2iQvpu9JAj — Charlotte Fire Comms (@CFD_Alarm) June 2, 2016

If you would like to participate, here’s where you can find your local station.

Excuse me while I go make these for my own fire department.