The Leary Firefighters Foundation and Frigidaire Appliances donated more than $90,000 in kitchen appliances to help restore New Orleans firehouses destroyed by Hurricane Katrina more than two years ago. The New Orleans Fire Department lost 22 out of its 33 firehouses to flooding in Katrina's wake, several have been revived by the Leary Firefighters Foundation since March 2007. Now, with a Frigidaire donation, the 11 remaining firehouses will be completed by 2008.

"The kitchen is the heart of the firehouse — a gathering place for crews to decompress and refuel in between fire calls," said District Chief of the New Orleans Fire Department Timothy McConnell. "With two-alarm blazes up by 300% since the hurricane, this space is even more vital than before, which is why we are so thankful that Frigidaire stepped in to help."

Eleven of the newly renovated kitchens will be outfitted with a full suite of Frigidaire Professional Series EasyCare stainless steel appliances. All kitchen suites include a refrigerator, freestanding range, microwave and icemaker. Each house also will receive three additional refrigerators, so off-duty firefighters have a place to store their food until their next shift. The laundry room will get energy-efficient Frigidaire Affinity front-loading washers and dryers. This is especially important as fighting fires can contaminate clothing, and the new machines' king-size capacity allows firefighters to complete two baskets of laundry per load.