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Talkeetna, Alaska: Birch Creek Ranch House Fire

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WHO: Farming is a tough bet. Anyone who knows Brian Kingsbury, and his parents Alan & Leilani who started Birch Creek Ranch in 1981, has witnessed the resilience, hard work, and persistence of the farming life. Together, with the help of many hands from near and far, they carved a beautiful and bountiful farm out of the Alaska wilderness.

WHAT HAPPENED: Sadly, the farmhouse at Birch Creek Ranch was lost to a fire on the night of October 11, 2019. The building, it's contents, and the plow truck and nearby sheds were a total loss.  Being outside the fire service area and being a farm made previous insurance attempts fruitless. The house served as Brian's farm living quarters and office as well as the kitchen and bathhouse for employees, volunteers, and visitors.

HOW YOU CAN HELP: The financial strain on the farm operations, though somewhat undetermined, will be felt deeply going forward both short and long term. Some needs due to the fire are immediate. The initial inventory of lost items that will need to be replaced, not including the structure itself, total more than $30,000. Family, friends and farm supporters have been asking what they can do. Hopefully, this GoFundMe page can make a small dent so that Birch Creek Ranch can continue providing the community with the many benefits of this local farm: flowers, produce, U-pick berries and just even having small family farms in operation everywhere. 

(Prefer donating offline? That’s equally appreciated! Please make checks out to Brian Kingsbury, put Farmhouse Fire Fund in the memo, and mail to PO Box 685, Talkeetna, AK 99676.  If you're in Talkeetna, you can also drop it off at the Flying Squirrel Bakery Cafe.)

WHERE WILL THE MONEY GO: All donations will be kept in a separated bank account so those funds can be used for fire debris clean up expenses and replacing items lost in the fire. Brian has prioritized the plow truck, small generators, construction tools, a chainsaw, brush trimmers, pruning shears, printer and many office, household, and kitchen items that were an integral part of the farm operations. Any funds remaining after these immediate priorities will be set aside and used toward a new farmhouse in the future.

MORE INFO: To read Brian's letter about the fire or learn more about Birch Creek Ranch visit talkeetnafarm.com/farmhousefire.

Thank you for anything you can contribute. Brian, Anita, Oliver, Penny, and Shadow thank you too. It would be great if you can share this page on Facebook, other social media or with an e-mail to others who might be willing to help the farm during this challenging time.

Fundraising team: Team Birch Creek Ranch (2)

Esther Golton
Organizer
Talkeetna, AK
Brian Kingsbury
Beneficiary
James Kloss
Team member

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