The owners of Seasons Rotisserie and Grill are accepting donations for firefighters battling the 416 Fire.

The restaurant, 764 Main Ave. in Durango, is hosting a “Sock it to Me” donation program and will be accepting over-the-calf wool socks, cotton bandannas, ChapStick and protein bars at the restaurant during regular business hours, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 10 p.m.

“We learned from some retired firefighters that socks were a hugely important part of keeping their feet safe and dry,” said Karen Barger, owner of the restaurant. “Your feet sweat a bit so you’re constantly going through socks. It’s a really important part to their overall health to be able to continue to fight.”

Barger, along with her husband, Wayne, who serves on the Durango Fire Protection District board of directors, began accepting donations Monday after they realized the severity of the fire, Barger said.

“We thought, ‘This is going to be a bigger deal,’” she said. “‘... Let’s go ahead and do our best to get these folks taken care of.’”

Barger said she wasn’t sure how many donations had been received, but about 50 socks were donated Wednesday afternoon.

If the Durango Fire Protection District isn’t accepting donations, Seasons will store all donations and make them available at the DFPD’s request.

“We’ll take these donations and get them to the right places for as long as people are accepting them,” Barger said. “If we need to hold on to them, even if it’s for next year’s fire season, I’ll put them in a storage unit and I’ll get them ready for next year. Socks and bandanas don’t expire.”

The donation campaign is a continuation of a project the couple started last summer during the Lightner Creek Fire. The owners teamed up with Alpine Bank to build “ready packs” for firefighters that came in.

asemadeni@durangoherald.com