Sherburne Mayor Bill Acee addresses attendees at the unveiling of a new ambulance donated by Chobani for Sherburne EMS. (Photo by Shawn Magrath)

SHERBURNE - Citing escalating hardships of rural EMS, Chobani has extended a helping hand to the Sherburne Fire Department in the form of a new ambulance to cover the village and the department's three protected townships.

The $150,000 four-wheel drive apparatus was unveiled at the Chobani plant Tuesday. Sherburne officials say it’s a welcome relief to replace the village’s existing ambulance which they say has simply become too costly to maintain.

“When we began this fund drive, the bumper literally fell off our ambulance,” said Sherburne Mayor William Acee. “Repairs were running about $10,000, so we knew it was past time for a new ambulance.”

The village immediately reached out to the community and Chobani for assistance and, despite being a “matter of life and death in some cases,” said Acee, they didn’t know if they would be successful.