Police and military personnel were rushed onto the tarmac at Jack Garland Airport on Friday morning.
However, this was not an emergency, in fact, the police and military were pitching in to help a worthy cause.
Nipissing University was the first team to take part in the annual "Pull for United Way" and when they struggled to pull the full-size jet down the runway for 100 feet, the police and military jumped in to help.
Katherine Cockburn is the development manager with United Way northeastern Ontario says the secret is in the momentum.
"It is getting the momentum going first, once you get that plane moving in the first few seconds, and as long as your team is pulling the momentum will help you pull it across the line," she said noting the fastest time in 2019 when they last ran the event was 19 seconds.
A total of 14 teams of 10 gathered for the runway festivities. The event is pulled together through a partnership between the United Way northeastern Ontario, 22 Wing/CFB North Bay, Jack Garland Airport and Voyageur Aviation which supplied the plane.
"It is really important for us to do these engagements with the community and as a partner within the community 22 Wing as a role to play to support important things such as the United Way," said Col. Richard Jolette, 22 Wing Commander at CFB North Bay.
This is the fourth year for the event, but the first time it has taken place since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds raised by the event will go into the United Way's Nipissing Community Fund which will go to local groups like the Gathering Place, the PADDLE Program, Frontier College and the Packsack Smiles program.
"The need is there in our community when you hear in North Bay that one in seven households are food insecure, this is why we do the work that we do to ensure everybody has the potential to succeed within this community," said Cockburn.
Dennis Chippa, executive director at the Gathering Place, says the United Way has been a tremendous beyond the financial support they provide through events like the Pull for United Way.
"United Way is one of those organizations that not only supports us financially but they do support us a lot from an emotional standpoint as they make sure to check in with us. They were in contact with us throughout the pandemic to see how we were coping with everything and I think that is one of those things that kind of gets missed in the work they do."
Cockburn estimates that close to $12,000 has been raised in the first three years of the event which started back in 2017. While Cockburn cannot give a final fundraising total, she is optimistic the year's numbers will be record-breaking.
