ROCKWALL, TX (March 5, 2024) Late Friday evening as the wildfires continued to burn out of control across the Texas Panhandle, something began to settle deep into my heart. The level of devastation gripping the ranchers and their land was unprecedented. With fires consuming over one million acres, this fire was quickly becoming the largest wildfire disaster in Texas history. The phrase rolled through my head over and over: “We have to do something!”
Stepping out in the hope that others would hear the need and respond, I posted a plea for help on Facebook, with a personal commitment to help these men and women in need. The post went viral with almost 200 shares. People began sending donations to help their neighbors they had never met.
As the donation amount increased, I had to reach out to a friend at the Northeast Texas Farmers COOP in Sulphur Springs, TX, to request special pricing to be used to help the victims of the fire. Chuck Smith, General Manager of NETFC, was quick to offer feed at cost to help the efforts. People like Chuck are in positions to make a difference, and what an amazing difference he and his team are making.
We are taking delivery of two 20-ton tractor-trailer loads of bulk feed this week and hope to raise enough funding to buy at least two more next week. The cost per truckload is $6,500. This amount may sound like a lot of money, but this feed is the most cost-effective available. It contains the nutrition cattle and horses need to recover from the shock and trauma they have endured over the past several days. The only way livestock can recover from lung injury is with good nutrition and time.
Every penny that is donated will be used for feed costs. A network of drivers donating their trucks and time will haul for us. The hope is to have multiple trucks hauling feed West for several weeks. It all depends on the amount of money donated to purchase feed. We are grateful for every dollar contributed; however, in order to move this cause forward efficiently, we are requesting larger corporate donations in order to meet the urgent timeline and large scope of this need.
Monetary donations can be given at my Venmo account (@Lee-Wells-4) and also my 501c3 (www.landmarkfellowship.com NA Missions Acct.)
Guest column by Lee Wells, owner/founder at Wells Cattle Co. Burgers & Pies in Rockwall, TX; Pastor at Landmark Fellowship Church; author/speaker ad host of The Ranch & Table podcast, written for publication in Blue Ribbon News. Wildfire photos by: Garrett Duvall, shared with permission. Delivery photos courtesy of Lee Wells.
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