Carbon County received over $12,000 in donations to help emergency preparedness, veterans and animals.

On Thursday, Lonny Armbruster of the Lehigh Fire Company No. 1 social quarters, presented the county commissioners with checks in the amount of $5,000 for the Emergency Management Agency and $1,000 for the Carbon County Veterans Day parade; while Eric German of Keystone Harley-Davidson in Parryville presented $6,040 in cash for the animal shelter from the recent Pipes for Paws fundraiser he organized.

Armbruster said that the donations are raised through small games of chance.

In addition to the $6,000, Lehigh Fire Company No. 1 also donated $2,500 to the Carbon County Animal Shelter and $2,500 to Carbon County Friends of Animals.

“We part with 60 percent of our profits and give it out to the community,” he said. “We keep it local, so we try to help others as much as we can.”

German said the Pipes for Paws Motorcycle Ride fundraiser that was held on Sept. 30 raised $10,000 to help abused animals.

Of that, Carbon County Animal Shelter received two donations — the $6,040 and $2,000 from sponsorship. The remaining funds will be distributed to the Allentown K-9 Unit and the Northampton Police Department K-9 Unit.

“This was organized to try and combat stories we hear of animal abuse,” German said. “This is a way of making people who abuse animals see that there are people out there who will do something about it.”

The commissioners thanked the two for their organizations’ donations.

The number of donations the county has received recently is unbelievable, Commissioner Thomas J. Gerhard said.

“I can’t tell you how grateful we are. There are a lot of great people out there and they care about Carbon County and the dogs and public safety,” he said.