CARBONDALE — For the fifth year, the Carbondale Fire Department and Carbondale Professional Firefighters Local 1961 donated money to help cancer patients in need of financial assistance.

Firefighters recently presented a check for $1,030 to the SIH Foundation. The money will be added to the Cancer Care Patient Support Fund which helps local patients receiving care at the SIH Cancer Institute.

Jill Gobert, director of the SIH Foundation, says a lot of their patients have large fuel costs and they have to go to chemo for 30 or 40 appointments, and if they live a couple of hours away, that can really add up.