Marcone, a leading North American distributor of residential and commercial kitchen appliance, HVAC, plumbing and pool/spa repair parts and equipment, recently sponsored the annual Guns 'N Hoses fundraising event.

Held November 27 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, the event is a fundraiser for Backstoppers, which supports the families of fallen or injured first responders. The annual event raises about $1 million each year and features an evening of amateur boxing and mixed martial arts matchups between police and firemen/EMT from the greater Saint Louis metropolitan area.

Marcone is a longtime sponsor of the Guns 'N Hoses event.

“Caring for first responders is a top priority for Marcone as we give back to the communities we serve,” said Dan Burke, Marcone’s vice president of national accounts. “The work Backstoppers does to support the families left behind by these heroes, who died serving our neighborhoods, is something we are proud to get behind.”

The money raised at the event will contribute toward the $2.5 million that Backstoppers spends to support 95 families, including 80 children, in the St. Louis area each year. Since the first Guns 'N Hoses event in 1987, more than $11 million has been raised.