Huge response to Red Barn’s cyclone appeal

By Frank Neill

Red Barn Supply Co has received a massive response to its call for people to donate items to send to Hawkes Bay people affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Red Barn decided to set up donation drop off places – including one in Ohariu Valley – the first week Cyclone Gabrielle hit.

The firm also offered discounts to people who bought products from their store to donate towards animals in the Hawkes Bay.

Red Barn put out a post on the Wednesday morning of that week “and the response was insane,” says Red Barn’s Nichole Rowley.

“By Thursday morning we had over 200 bags of feed for all sorts of animals and by Friday it had reached to over 350 bags of feed,” she says.

People also donated crates, cages, beds, horse rugs, vet supplies and hay.

As well as the donations to help animals, people donated many items to help people affected by the cyclone.

The donations came from as far south as Ashburton, as well as from people from Wellington to Foxton.

“We set off and delivered a truck load and a float load to three different areas in Hawkes Bay and we continued to have more people reach out to donate,” Nichole says. By 27 February, Red Barn had collected enough donations to send another truck load of donated good to Hawkes Bay. A third truck load was delivered on 3 March. “We really hope that it helped relieve some stress of having to source and buy food and vet sup-