Post-fire Harvest Farm grateful for community support

By Gary Raham
Wellington Correspondent

Strong winds that fanned a fire at Harvest Farm last Nov. 27 and blew down the corn maze that helps support this rehabilitative center have not returned this year.

Director Tom Matuschka is grateful for that, as well as for tremendous community support after a disaster that destroyed four buildings, a winter's supply of hay, and many pigs and rabbits.

"I want to extend a heartfelt expression of gratitude to the community," he said.

Operated by the Denver Rescue Mission, Harvest Farm, north of Wellington, provides a home and programs for men recovering from substance abuse and homelessness.

Matuschka hopes to start building a new hay barn in the next month or so. He and his staff are still working with the county on meeting elevation requirements for the livestock barns and with the insurance company to pin down all the details of the final settlement. The buildings will probably cost between $250,000 and $300,000 to replace. They hope to start construction on subsequent buildings by the turn of the year.

The farm's neighbors donated hay, diesel fuel, bedding for animals and other items immediately after the fire, and monetary donations amounting to about $15,000 helped a great deal.

Matuschka looks on the fire as a great teaching opportunity. The men under his charge get to see how to adapt to the unexpected and see how proper planning can make for a better and more productive future.

Several changes resulted from the fire. Harvest Farm decided to diversify its animals, both to add variety to the petting zoo for children and to help launch a new, educational venture this summer called Pizza Farm Field Trips. Youngsters can meet Nubian and boar goats, rams and cows and see firsthand how all the ingredients for great pizza can come from one farm. After meeting four-legged friends and taking a wagon ride around the farm, visitors can buy a pizza lunch and enjoy it at the farm's picnic pavilion. Such an event can make a fun and educational birthday party.

"After the fire," said Matuschka, "we decided to change our options a little and go from 26 sows to 10 and bring in some new animals."

They still have enough sows to feed the men and provide some to the Denver Rescue Mission. The new, additional animals help make the Pizza Farm possible. Youth involved in 4-H can also raise animals there for show and profit.

The fire started in a compost pile, apparently a case of spontaneous combustion. The pile resides in nearly the same place, but the new buildings will be built farther away with the hay barn far enough east that prevailing northwesterly winds won't endanger the animal's forage if a similar fire should occur.

This year's corn maze is still standing tall and is scheduled to continue Saturdays and Sundays through the first three weekends in November. Last year, they had more than 20,000 visitors and "are on target to match last year's numbers," according to Matuschka.

The maze design this year depicts a fireman hosing down a barn blaze. It "serves as a tribute to the Wellington Fire Protection District for their heroic efforts extinguishing a barn fire on the farm last November," according to the maze brochure.

More information on farm activities is available at www.HarvestFarm.net or by calling 568-9488. Donations are gladly accepted for Harvest Farm and can be sent to the Denver Rescue Mission, 3501 E. 46th Ave., Denver, CO 80216.