Wellington – While residents of Denver Rescue Mission’s Harvest Farm are cleaning up the charred remains of barns destroyed in a fire Nov. 27, plans are being drawn up to make the operation bigger and better in the future.
“We’ve been told that there are new opportunities to rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina,” said Harvest Farm director Tom Matuschka. “Well, I think the same thing applies to us.”
The Sunday afternoon blaze apparently started in a pile of cornstalks and manure and was stoked by high winds. The blaze destroyed four wooden barns, including a farrowing barn and all the equipment to raise piglets. Also wiped out were 60 tons of grain corn, 2,500 bales of alfalfa-grass hay and 200 bales of straw – most of the farm’s winter feed supply.
In addition, at least 55 pigs and 10 rabbits were killed. A total of 170 animals were rescued, including pigs, alpacas, cattle, goats, chickens and sheep.
There were no injuries to the 72 men from Denver Rescue Mission who work and live in the farm’s dormitories. Most are dealing with drug and alcohol addictions and volunteered to work at the farm to help break destructive cycles.
The 100-acre farm north of Fort Collins produces livestock for food at the site and for those at the Denver Rescue Mission. Piglets are also sold to local 4-H groups and to individuals, Matuschka said.
The barns that burned will probably not be rebuilt, he said. Instead, officials are looking into building one large structure to house farrowing activities, hogs and a petting zoo.
Rescue officials may also expand the nursery and build an infirmary for the animals, he said.
Any changes would not only increase the farm’s efficiency, but also help the men who live and work there, Matuschka said.
“We want to look at the operations to make it better,” he said. “And at the same time, teach better skills and lessons to the guys.”
A planned expansion of the dorms, kitchen and recreation area to accommodate 100 men is still planned, said Denver Rescue Mission spokeswoman Greta Ritchey, but the first priority is getting the farming operations moving again.
“The agricultural segment will be rebuilt first, and we want to make it better,” she said.
Insurance will not pay for replacing the feed or livestock, Matuschka said, but donations from area farmers have been pouring in, and other farmers have been lending their labor and equipment to help clear the debris left by the fire.
So far, the farm is the best rehabilitation program Jimmy H. has encountered. His two months of work there have allowed him to clarify his life.
“I needed a more stable perspective on life,” Jimmy H. said. “Here, it’s low stress and lots of hard work, but it’s good work.”
Donations can be dropped off at Harvest Farm, 4240 E. County Road 66, Wellington, CO 80549. Monetary donations can be mailed to Denver Rescue Mission, C/O Harvest Farm, 3501 E. 46th Ave., Denver, CO 80216.
Staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 720-9292-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com.
