Lompoc area first responders honored by church at annual luncheon

First responders in the Lompoc area were honored at an annual event Thursday.

St. Mary’s Episcopal Church held its “Salute To First Responders,” an event it holds each September, around the time of 9/11.

“The purpose is to say thank you to the people that go in when everybody else is coming out,” said Rev. Michael Cunningham, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church Director.

The event dates back to 2007.

It was created as a way to pay tribute to those was serve and sacrifice on a daily basis to ensure the safety and security of the Lompoc Valley.

“It’s a great event,” said Lompoc Police Chief Joseph Mariani. “We’re very grateful that St. Mary’s Episcopal Church would do this every year.”

The event allows the church and its parishioners an opportunity to personally say thank you to emergency workers in the surrounding area.

“It’s important to say thank you to people who serve unselfishly,” said Cunningham. “They’re heroes and they’re amazing people. They try and save people’s lives.”

On hand for the two-hour event were a number of personnel from a number of local agencies, including the Lompoc Police Department, Lompoc Fire Department, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, Santa Barbara County Fire Department, California Highway Patrol, as well as several others.

The event included a prayer service, which included words from Cunningham and Mariani.

Afterwards, a tri-tip lunch was served for everyone in attendance.

“It means a whole lot that people are grateful and appreciate the work that we do,” said Mariani. “These people are ordinary people that do amazing things during challenges and it’s a great feeling to be recognized for what we do.”

The church made sure to provide packed takeout lunches for first responders who couldn’t attend because they were working.

“We have big foam takeout boxes, so dispatchers can get fed,” said Cunningham.