<< Back 12/25/02 Balsam VFD raises money with cookbook SMN What better way to raise money for a new kitchen than by the sales of a cookbook? At least that was the thinking of Joanna Nicholson, wife of Balsam-Willets-Ochre Hill Volunteer Fire Department Chief, Johnny Nicholson. And it looks like a pretty good idea. Nicholson said nearly 700 copies of Sharing Our Best have sold. Nicholson, who was the driving force behind the cookbook, said that 1,000 were printed. “We hope to sell this thousand and order more,” she said. Nicholson said she hopes to clear about $6,500 on the project. The money is going into a special account and will be used to equip the kitchen of a new firehouse the department hopes to build on property it has acquired on Willets Street, about a mile from the present firehouse. The book contains 482 recipes. Nicholson said she announced the project in area churches and news spread by word of mouth. The whole project from collection of recipes to publication only took about one-and-a-half months. The book was finished in late November. Sharing Our Best costs $12 and can be purchased at Balsam Convenience and Automotive, Hilltop Grocery, Balsam Mountain Preserve or from any Balsam-Willets firefighter. For more information call Joanna at 828.586.9331.