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FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY: Kentucky Farm Bureau members, partners, agents
and staff have stepped up to help Gulf Coast victims of Hurricane Katrina.
The assistance has ranged from individuals sending hay and feed to farms
in devastated areas to volunteers helping local Red Cross chapters and
other charities answer telephones and feed evacuees who have sought refuge
in Kentucky. Farm Bureau claims adjusters also are involved, traveling
to Mississippi to help colleagues there.
“We had a strong response from the claim staff,” said David
Spanyer, director of claims at Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance Cos. Five
field adjusters, a district claim manager, four auto appraisers and a
physical damage manager arrived in Mississippi in mid-September. They
were expected to be on the scene for about three weeks, with others from
Kentucky taking their places then, Spanyer said. “We will be sending
adjusters and appraisers every couple of weeks.” In addition, money
was accepted from the more than 500 employees, agency staff and volunteer
leaders on behalf of the American Red Cross. Farm Bureau Insurance Cos.
matched the $13,000 in contributions, bringing the total to $26,000.
Monetary donations also have been solicited at the central office in
Louisville, with Farm Bureau acting as a conduit for contributions to
the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture’s relief fund.
Local FFA chapters and county Farm Bureaus are raising money in the effort
to provide long-term assistance to farm families and contributions will
be accepted through Dec. 31.
Some of these monetary contributions will be donated to the Second Harvest
food pantry to ensure a steady flow of supplies. And American Farm Bureau’s
Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee is asking members to give nonperishable
foods to Second Harvest.
Bob Stallman, American Farm Bureau’s president, said the money
raised for the Hurricane Ag Fund will be earmarked for charities selected
by state Farm Bureaus in Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida and the Alabama
Farmers Federation.
“Every dollar we collect will be earmarked to help farm and ranch
families or their rural communities get back on their feet and back to
the business of producing our nation’s food and fiber,” Stallman
said.
The Caldwell County Farm Bureau accepted donations to the Red Cross
as the “price” of a ticket for a ride on the Kentucky Farm
Bureau balloon during the annual Black Patch Festival in Princeton.
In Danville, the Boyle County Farm Bureau collected donations while hosting
a free hamburger cookout for the community, and auctioned packs of those
burgers at their recent annual meeting.
The Grant County Farm Bureau office in Williamstown has served as the
designated drop-off center for a countywide effort to collect clothing,
food and supplies for Katrina’s victims.
In Clark County, Farm Bureau joined forces with the local FFA chapter
and Sosby Trucking Co. to collect canned goods for Mississippi. With the
support of other local businesses, about 3,360 gallons of water also were
transported to Mississippi.
And two tractor-trailer loads of food and water were sent to the Gulf
Coast because of a partnership between the Floyd County Farm Bureau and
Family First Ministries, a local food bank.
In addition, Kentucky Farm Bureau will partner with the Kentucky Department
of Agriculture and other ag-related organizations throughout the state
to collect new farm supplies and livestock feed for farmers in Alabama,
Louisiana and Mississippi who were affected by the hurricane. As part
of the effort, the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association will collect
cash and credit card donations that will be used to buy needed supplies
to supplement donated items.
The supplies will be transported to Mississippi and Louisiana, where
representatives of Heifer International, the Mississippi Cattlemen’s
Association, the Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service, and the Mississippi
state veterinarian’s office will distribute them to farmers in the
three states. The University of Kentucky is supplying trucks to deliver
the donated items to Mississippi.
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