By Shawn Skager-The Courier Herald
Donations keep rolling in for the Sumner High School FFA program’s Student Barn Arson Recovery Project, with the addition of a $500 donation from the Puyallup Kiwanis Club last week.
Members of the club are currently soliciting donations to replace a barn that was destroyed and five pigs that were killed during a July 9 fire in Sumner.
The fire, which is suspected to be the result of arson, destroyed a barn on Mayor Dave Enslow’s property in the 5600 block of Parker Avenue. Five 80-pound, three-month-old pigs, including a replacement boar and young female to be used for breeding, died in the blaze.
But according to Sumner FFA Vice President Eric Larson, it could have been worse.
“What’s scary is that we could have lost more,” he said.
The club had five pregnant sows housed in a barn at the high school - sows that normally would have been in the Parker Road barn.
Although the program will be able to provide members with several pigs to raise for next year, Larson said they will have to get a new breeding boar.
“Now we have to get a new breeding line,” he said, “which takes about a year.”
The program is also looking to refurbish an old horse barn adjacent to the old barn, rebuilding the space to meet the demands of raising pigs. Additionally, the program is hoping to prepare part of an old dairy barn on the property to store the other animals, like lambs and steers, that students in the program raise.
Since the fire, the club has received donations from the Kiwanis and East Pierce Fire and Rescue, which each donated $500.
Additionally, hundreds of dollars have been donated by private citizens, including several alumni of the program.
“We’re getting money from parents and grandparents of alumni,” FFA adviser Greg Pile said. “It’s not solicited, people have just been sending money. We even got a donation from Rhode Island, from a former student from 10 or 12 years ago.”
The program has also received donations from local businesses, such as Lowe’s in Bonney Lake, which contributed pitchforks, shovels, wheelbarrows and other hardware.
“It’s amazing, everybody has been so helpful,” Larson said.
“It’s a nice feeling to know that people still want agriculture in an urban setting. It’s comforting,” Pile said.
Adviser Rusty Finch agreed, adding that although the FFA - originally called Future Farmers of America - bases its teaching on the agriculture business it’s about more than farming these days.
“The big thing is that the animals are just a vehicle to teach responsibility,” he said. “It’s a tangible way to utilize and teach things like scientific method. The kids may not become farmers, but they’ll use the things they’ve learned.”
According to Pile, the Sumner FFA hopes to be able to use the space for the next five years, but is currently looking for more permanent digs.
“Maybe someone out there has a barn that isn’t being used on their property,” he said.
Anyone interested in contributing to the FFA can contact Sumner Communications Director Ann Cook at 253-891-6070 or FFA Alumni Group President Dick Bates at 253-863-7093. Checks can also be made to the Sumner FFA Alumni (a nonprofit organization) and sent to Sumner High School, 1707 Main St., Sumner.
Reach Shawn Skager at sskager@courierherald.com or 253-862-7719 ext. 208.
