Fire Victim Charity & Fire Assistance

Fire Victim Charity & Fire Assistance

Fire Victim Charity & Fire Assistance plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.

Tree fruit industry victims of the wildfires in Washington's Okanogan County are getting some help via a tax deductible charity that is being set up. The Community Foundation of North Central Washington Brewster/Pateros Tree Fruit Fire Victims Fund will channel help directly to those working in the tree fruit industry that have lost their homes and suffered great loss. Send your donation for the fund to: 9 S. Wenatchee Ave., Wenatchee, WA 98801

President Obama late Monday approved a request by Washington's Gov. Jay Inslee for an Emergency Declaration to make additional federal resources available to help with the ongoing response to wildfires in Washington state. This assistance will help address power outages in areas where electric infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, and will also assist with debris removal. The governor spoke with the president during his visit to the state yesterday, and provided him with an update on the fires. The governor also requested additional federal resources including assistance from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help with assessment, planning, and installation of emergency power generators to restore power to facilities determined critical to the well-being of fire-damaged communities.

Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray.

Animals are often used as helpmates to people with disabilities. Guide dogs for the visually impaired are a prime example, but there are other animals helping their human counterparts on the road to recovery. Llamas are not usually the first animal you would think of when it comes to comfort and rehabilitation - kittens, puppies, even bunnies, but llamas? Pacific Northwest farm owner Niki Kuklenski, who has been a successful llama owner and trainer for over thirty years, also offers visits from registered therapy llamas. She has two full sized llamas that she takes around to various places, actually taking them inside, to visit with rehabilitation patients or persons with disabilities. Kuklenski says the fact that these are full sized llamas doesn't pose a problem and that her therapy llamas are actually quite well behaved. And that contrary to what many people have read or seen about llamas they are not the rude, grumpy, spitting animals that they are often made out to be on television or in the movies. To find out more about these amazing therapy animals you can visit JNK Llama Farm on their Facebook page. Like their dog and cat counterparts, llama are helping to change lives.

Thanks Lacy. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.

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