Manhattan Rescue Farm's Hay Supply Dwindling, In Dire Need Of Help

MANHATTAN, IL — A Manhattan nonprofit that takes in rescued animals and provides therapeutic offerings for those with special needs has found itself in a bind and is asking for the public's help.

HHH Ranch—named for Hands, Hooves, and Hope—is in dire need of hay to feed its animals. Grateful to have had its last year's hay supply donated, that supply is dwindling now, and with so many mouths—more than 20—to feed, they're staring down a crisis.

"Last year, we had all of our hay donated," said HHH Ranch President Christine Doran. "We had this amazing guy ... The forest preserve digs out parts of their land, he would bring us 25 round bales at a time. (This year) he lost his bid, and we lost all of our hay."

As a registered 501c3, the ranch relies on donations and fundraising to help feed its many hooved, furry, or feathered creatures. All kept on the farm—located at 14101 West Bruns Rd.—have been taken in as rescues or animals needing a little extra love. Ask Doran their names, and she can prattle off all of them. There's horses Missy, Tony, Toast, Kaya, Chief, Apache, Phoenix and Hershey. And ponies Bumble (who's potty-trained and pays visits to schools and nursing homes), Daisy, and Charlie (who wasn't trained to do so, but can seemingly sense when a child is about to have a seizure and "will plant his feet and stay perfectly still until their seizure is over").

Don't forget about Mojo the donkey, Dynamite the mini-mule, one cow, goats George and another yet to be named, pigs Herald and Esmae, Tina the llama (but he's a boy), a duck named Fred, and about 10–15 chickens that children rename on a regular basis, Doran joked. And the cow? It was a rogue one in a field off 191st and LaGrange, that Doran and a friend on a horseback worked for three hours to corral and bring to safety. "Cici" is more like a dog now, she says, and follows them around the property.

It's a lot of mouths to feed, and they're about to add two more. The farm will soon take in two additional horses in need, coming from a family in Lockport that can no longer sustain their care.

"We have been struggling, just getting little bits donated, so now we’re having to pay for our hay," Doran said. "These are our toughest months, not a lot of people donate. Hay guys jack up their price, and we’re paying $15 more per bale. It’s a tough go-around, all the way around."

Doran has found a local farmer that has bales that they desperately need, but he will be making the round bales into square at the end of next week, the farm wrote on social media. The farm must purchase a minimum of 20 bales. Each round bale is $65. Round bales, as opposed to traditional square bales, last the farm longer, Doran said.

"We go through so many bales a day, we’re looking for round bales because they last us longer, 3–4 days," Doran said. "Our square bales, depending on how big they are, we go through 4–6 bales per day."

They have set a $1,300 goal for purchasing hay, and supporters can donate online. Any money raised through that link will go directly toward paying for hay, she stressed.

"Anything that’s raised on that link, only goes to hay," she said. "We’ll tell you exactly what we’ve spent money on."

The hay shortage is just the most recent sign of a changing atmosphere for her nonprofit, Doran said.

"It’s just been tricky, since COVID-19, things have changed," she said. "We just don’t have the same fundraising … fundraising in general, I’m in a whole new world of it."

One of the ranch's usual, large fundraisers that prior to the pandemic brought in $20,000, this fall brought in a mere $3,200, barely covering the cost of having it.

HHH provides therapeutic riding lessons and animal-based interactions for those with special needs. Many of the lessons are paid for via scholarships awarded to the riders; this year, the farm doled out $20,000 in scholarships for therapeutic riding lessons. The farm aims to specifically offer programs for adults with special needs, an area where services might be lacking, Doran said.

"The money really isn’t just lining people’s pockets," Doran said. "Instead, we’re really putting it back where it should be."

The farm—which is approaching its 8th anniversary—is a labor of love for Doran, who spends the bulk of her days running the operation, organizing special events, and making sure all goes smoothly on the volunteer-led farm. Volunteers include a riding instructor, barn manager, volunteer manager, and events and grants coordinators.

Doran herself has not yet taken a paycheck, she said.

"I like to call myself 'head volunteer', 8 years running," she joked. "One day I will get paid. It will not be any day soon."

When not at the farm, she's busy caring for her 6-year-old, 4-year-old and 11-month-old.

"I call us The Funny Farm," she joked to Patch.

Doran hopes that not only will people feel inspired to donate and help them get the hay they need, but that their community will want to learn more about this "little rescue farm that could."

"I like to say I’m on a boogie board, I’m just riding the waves," she said. "I kind of feel like I’ve got a whole new nonprofit that I’m running. COVID changed things.

"You can tell I have a real heart for this."

Find out more about HHH Ranch on their Facebook page.