Thursday, September 18, 2008

Help Needed in Texas

I learned last night that there are at least 100 horses still on Galveston Island in Texas needing food and water in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. They have moved an additional 23 horses to a staging area in Santa Fe, Texas. It’s no surprise that one of the people who is coordinating this effort is Jerry Finch, founder of the equine rescue organization, Habitat for Horses.

The bad news is that Habitat for Horses, which is in Hitchcock, not far from Galveston, also suffered serious damage. The 50 animals that are living there are okay, but the roof on the barn is gone and the sheds and storage area was destroyed. They are going to need lots of help restoring everything. Jerry started the organization in 1992 when he quit his job in sales in Houston and bought the 27-acre ranch. He founded the non-profit in 1997 and has been helping not only horses but troubled kids as well for over a decade.

There was a quote from Jerry in an article written about Habitat for Horses that I really liked: “I provide them with grain, hay, water – the essentials. At the same time, they’re feeding me with what I need to survive. They’re feeding my spiritual being, my spiritual growth. Had I not taken them in, I would now be as starved as they were at one time.”

If you can lend a hand, go to www. habitatforhorses.org. Spend some time looking at what they do. It’s an organization with their hearts and priorities in the right place.

3 comments:

AnnL said...

That is a lovely quote, he sounds like an amazing man. I wish I was closer to lend a hand, but I'm sure they could use some financial help. So, I'll head over there to make a donation.

Thanks for posting about this.

Ann

Victoria Cummings said...

Thanks, Ann, that's very generous of you- It sounds like they need all the help they can get. To learn more about what's going on in Texas, there are good articles on thehorse.com

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting this, I'm going to send it out to my little horse community.