Brian Johnson hands a woman a free ice cream Friday afternoon outside of Hardester’s Market in Middletown. Johnson, a home lending loan officer of Umpqua Bank in Novato, drove the bank’s free ice cream truck to provide the treats to residents affected by the Valley Fire. The truck came down from Seattle, Washington and travels along the west coast to give out ice cream or coffee at events. Johnson said they wanted to reach out to the community that’s gone through so much this summer. ‘This is just something a little different, something fun,’ he said. ‘We wanted to spread some good cheer.’ – Berenice Quirino — Lake County Publishing
