“I’ve Always Wanted to Pay That Back”: How Nebraska Ranchers Helped the Amish After A Major Wildfire
Following the wildfire which hit the Amish in the “middle of nowhere”, a non-Amish father and son found they could relate to the community’s loss.
And that motivated them to donate their time, energy and resources to helping out one particularly hard-hit Amish family in Cherry County, Nebraska.
From News Channel Nebraska:
KILGORE, Neb. – Wildfires across Nebraska’s Sandhills are leaving many ranchers scrambling to find ways to feed their cattle. At the same time, support is coming from those who understand the loss firsthand.
Rick and Triston Stewart of Chadron are among those stepping in to help. The father and son recently delivered two loads — about 60 bales of hay — to an Amish family south of Kilgore whose home and feed supply were devastated by the Anderson Bridge Fire.
The Stewarts, it turns out, were driven in no small part by their own experience of loss – from an “opposite” weather phenomenon of sorts – a massive blizzard which struck their part of the country a dozen years ago:
“In the October blizzard of 2013 we lost a lot of cattle,” Rick Stewart said.
The Stewarts lost about 10 percent of their herd during that storm. In the aftermath, donations from others helped them recover — something Rick Stewart said he never forgot.
“Some people donated, and I’ve always wanted to pay that back,” he said.
The Stewarts heard about what happened to the Amish in the Kilgore settlement – one of whom had a newly-built home burn down, in addition to losing cattle and hay.
How did they find out? It turns out that a group of Amish had been putting new siding on their home. They informed the Stewarts of their co-religionists’ misfortune.
They actually live about two hours away, so they’re not exactly neighbors. But the drive to help was there:
“They were talking about the ones who lost their house down here and all their feed. I said, ‘I want to donate some hay. Get me in touch with them,’ and they did,” Stewart said.
Preparing the donation took time and effort.
“They spent two days getting these trucks ready and two long days in the shop,” said Morgan Cullan.
Not only was there a good bit of prep and a four-hour round trip – they also hit a snag on the way, with a tire blowing out when they had nearly reached their destination. Fortunately, a local person – a trucker named Thomas Yellow Hawk – helped them get roadworthy again and on their way.
For those involved, the moment served as a reminder of the region’s strong sense of community.
“It’s a lot of Nebraska values, helping each other out, the kindness,” Cullan said.
Great feel-good story at a tough time for a lot of people in the state. Hats off to the Stewarts, Yellow Hawk and all those who helped.
Other ways to help
Help is being organized for those hit by the fires. And of course the impact of the Anderson Bridge Fire – not to mention the three other, larger fires which burned concurrently – goes well beyond the state’s small Amish community.
According to the report, the Anderson Bridge Fire Relief Fund “will prioritize those directly affected in Cherry County, with additional consideration for others impacted by wildfires in the area and neighboring communities.” It will also provide support to local fire and emergency response teams.
If you’d like to make a donation, that can be done at the website of the Sandhills Area Foundation, or by mailing a check to Sandhills Area Foundation, 103 N. Cherry St., Valentine, NE 69201. They ask you to note “Fire relief” in the memo line.
Above and Beyond
This story warms my heart, and it’s one of the reasons I enjoy Amish America so much—you share the kind of good news we need more of.
One winter, I was stuck in a ditch when an Amish man in a horse and buggy stopped to help. He stayed until I was out, and when I thanked him, he simply said, “When someone needs help, you help until they don’t need help anymore.”
That’s always stayed with me, and it sounds like the Stewart family lives that out too.