Hurricanes Helene and Milton have devastated parts of the Southeast in the past few weeks. NWFA members have been stepping up to help with relief efforts across North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, and Georgia. One example of this is Olde Wood Ltd., which is based in Magnolia, Ohio.
Another local Ohio business, Tonka Services, spearheaded an effort to collect enough donations to fill a 53’ trailer for farms in North Carolina. Olde Wood Ltd. partnered with Tonka Services and Mandy Sancic says within one week’s time, the big hearts of their small town filled that trailer and a second one right after that.
In addition to being the founders of Olde Wood Ltd., Sancic and her husband, Tommy, run a large family farm. Hence, their passion for gathering donations for livestock owners in need.
“True to the testament of the giving hearts of our area farmers, specifically Pero Farms and our friends, the Wilsons of Navarre, Ohio, each refused money when I tried to purchase the hay with the funds we had raised. They donated more than 300 square bales of hay for us to take down to North Carolina,” says Sancic.
Sancic explains that with the money they raised, they were able to purchase several pallets of livestock feed, chicken feed, livestock minerals, livestock medications, cat food, dog food, and more.
Tommy Sancic, Tommy Sancic II, Cooper Hemming, and Conner Sancic arrived in Canton, North Carolina at the WNC Regional Livestock Center with two truckloads of supplies earlier this month. The other two semi loads that were part of the convoy went to Swannanoa, North Carolina, filled with supplies for people. The team notes that everyone was very gracious and thankful for all of the donations.
“As human beings, we are called to be there for one another in our times of need. The areas affected by Hurricane Helene will be in need for a very long time,” adds Mandy Sancic. “Currently, their greatest need is boots on the ground, people willing to put in some time to lend a hand. The areas that were affected have little to no access now as roads have been washed away. Our hearts break daily for the stories that we heard and the sights that we saw. Continue to pray for these amazing people and help how you can.”
The Sancics hope that sharing their experience will continue to shed light on the ongoing needs in North Carolina. Those wishing to contribute to relief efforts for the areas impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton may do so through the following organizations: