When Maricopa’s firefighters show up for a car collision or house fire, they won’t be arriving alone.

Maricopa’s Moose International lodge donated several boxes of stuffed moose to the Maricopa and Thunderbird Fire Departments yesterday.

Affectionately coined “Tommy Moose,” the stuffed animal is provided by the fraternal service organization to children enduring traumatic events, such as car accidents or house fires.

Maricopa Moose President Marc Tilford said the idea to donate the plush animals originated some 30 years ago and aligns with the organization’s goal to help children in need.

“Our lodge is just a little over a year old, so this is our first time donating to the fire department,” Tilford said. “We’ll have cases of them on hand when the fire departments and police departments run low.”

Robert Funkey, who chairs the organization’s board of directors, was on hand yesterday to present the stuffed animals to the departments. It was his first stop on a national tour of multiple Moose lodges around the country.

“We’re the newest lodge in the fraternity, so he wanted to come see us,” Tilford told InMaricopa. “He doesn’t visit all that many [lodges] outside the Midwest, so it’s a really big deal he’s here.”

Funkey said his role is to see what members are up to at any of the 1,300-some lodges around the country, big and small.

“This is one of the smaller [lodges], but they’re so excited and encouraged here,” he said. “They’re growing and they’re attracting people by getting involved in the community.”

Funkey has served in leadership roles for the organization since 1998, most recently as vice chairman of the board of the directors and previously as a chaplain. He said the Moose Lodge goal is to improve the lives of children and seniors in communities around the country.