Cape Coral firefighters raised approximately $16,000 this past weekend during their annual Fill the Boot Muscular Dystrophy Association charity drive.

With helmets strapped to their heads and boots extended, firefighters paced the medians of several major Cape intersections between Thursday and Saturday for the cause.

“People were awesome,” said Cape firefighter Brendon Foneck, who is a member of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2424. “They were extremely generous; times are tight right now, and they didn’t hesitate to give to the cause.”

The drive was held Thursday and Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturday in the early afternoon, with about 15 local firemen accepting donations at intersections such as Veterans Parkway and Santa Barbara Boulevard and Del Prado Boulevard at Cape Coral Parkway.

Mayor Eric Feichthaler also participated in the drive Thursday as a special guest collector.

The goal was set for $25,000 to be raised locally this year, to top last year’s $24,000.

Foneck said Tuesday that another boot drive will be held before Labor Day, as well as a motorcycle poker run in which bike owners can participate for an entry fee that will go toward MDA.

With the money firefighters already raised from last weekend’s drive, Foneck said they are “well on the way” to their goal.

According to MDA district director Marty Moorhead, money raised for the organization will pay for wheelchairs, leg braces, clinic visits, support groups, flu shots and summer camp for children suffering neuromuscular disorders.