Most of you will know me and my family, but for those who don’t, my name is Lita Cope and my parents are Shawn and Ricky Alt. On Monday, September 29th, our family barn was completely destroyed by a fire caused by farm equipment. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first loss to a fire that my family has had to endure. We had a total property loss back in 2011 where the barn and house were completely taken. My family has spent years rebuilding what was lost then. Here we are now, dealing with yet another once-in-a-lifetime loss to fire.

Thankfully, no horses or dogs were in the barn when it caught fire, and Dad got out with only a few burns to his arms. He attempted to save some of the tools he uses to make his living but was unable to save anything. We have great friends in our life who rallied together to help get the horses' needs taken care of. What we are asking help for now is the needs Dad requires to start getting his life back to normal. All of the tools he uses for work and income are gone. This barn housed EVERYTHING: tack, tools, farm equipment, holiday decorations, photos, and more. I am hoping to raise the money needed for him to start buying back the necessary tools for him to keep working and bringing in income. At the moment, he is a sitting duck and unable to buy much. Any little bit that can be given is so appreciated!

My Dad is such a good man. He lives to help everyone when he can. This really couldn’t have happened to a better person. I’m literally begging for help for him because looking at him right now absolutely breaks my heart into a million pieces. I’ve only ever seen him cry three times in my life: when we lost everything in 2011, when his mom died, and now. No amount is too small!