Tracy Nystrom, who leases Dillion has made a great suggestion as to how our barn family can help!
As many of you may know, the federal government shutdown has now stretched into its fifth week. Today, federal employees missed another paycheck—even as many continue to report to work. Over 750,000 others remain furloughed, with their agencies unable to operate and employees placed on “non-duty, non-pay” status.
With SNAP benefit cuts expected to begin in November 2025, food banks across the country are already seeing a surge in requests for assistance—and that need is only expected to grow as the holidays approach.
With Thanksgiving just a month away, We’d love for us to rally as a barn community and make a difference. Perhaps we could kick off No Stirrup November with a special Halloween “No Tricks Just Treats” Drive: we could invite all of our students and barn families to donate non-perishable food items as their “treat” to those in need. We could keep the momentum going throughout November with a full-scale food drive to support a local pantry/food bank.
It could be a simple way to turn our seasonal traditions into something even more meaningful than ever—and it’s a great opportunity to show how strong and generous our barn family really is.
We’re putting up tables at the entrance of the barn to collect the food that we will then take to the Food Bank. We’d love for our artistic members to help promote the cause with a few Posters that explain what the cause is…
Let me know what you think, and please share any ideas to make this effort even more effective.
Thanks for your consideration!