Small but Mighty FFA Gives Big

WAITSBURG - "It was honestly scary. I don't even know what I'd do," said Walla Walla FFA Chapter Sentinel Reed Curcio as he described the scene that he and Waitsburg Chapter President and District Sentinel Mikala DeRuwe drove through while delivering thousands of pounds of goods to those affected by the Carlton Complex Fire near Pateros on Thursday. An email from State FFA officers asking if District 6 could do something to help sent Waitburg and Walla Walla FFA members scrambling to provide relief to the victims of what is reported to be the largest wildfire in Washington's history.

Many local FFA members were working, harvesting, out-of-town, or otherwise unavailable last week, leaving relatively few members able to help, especially in such a short time frame. But strong community support allowed the efforts of even the small group to have a mighty impact. FFA students donated items, set up collection stations in Walla Walla and College Place and went to door-to-door soliciting contributions from local businesses. Curcio said he visited "almost every store in Walla Walla," and was never turned away empty-handed.

DeRuwe and Curcio drove into the emergency Red Cross station at Pateros High School with an "overloaded 47-foot snowmobile trailer" filled with canned goods, bottled water, clothing, feed for dogs, horses, cats, sheep and cattle, hay, rice and more. DeRuwe said she was amazed at the amount of goods that filled the high school gymnasium and lined the school hallways. "People came from all over to help out. I saw license plates from Montana and even Missouri," she said. DeRuwe said one of the organizers told her they were extremely thankful to FFA and for all the help the organization has provided.

Aid for animals is especially appreciated and often overlooked. "Many people live on farms over there. We worry about taking care of the people, but what about the animals?" said Curcio. He explained that his aunt, a veterinarian in Winthrop, told him that thousands of cattle had been incinerated in the fire and many of those that escaped are wounded.

"The farmers are having to move their cattle to hay ground, which is what they need to harvest to feed their cattle this winter," he said. "It's just a bad deal and the storms keep coming."

Local FFA chapters will continue to collect donations and make additional trips throughout the summer.