Dormie Club Donates Hay to Farmers Affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton
After the destruction from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, over 100 bales of hay from Dormie Club became a vital lifeline for desperate farm animals.
When Eric Harbauer, Dormie Club's Director of Agronomy, suggested to his team to bale hay from the 90-acre field on property instead of bushwhacking it, he had no idea it would later provide critical sustenance for animals who survived Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Dormie Club, located in West End, North Carolina, thankfully weathered the run-off storms well thanks to great drainage. “When it all came through, I swear we didn’t see the sun for two weeks. It was foggy and overcast for a few days after the hurricane hit,” shared Zac Hinshaw, Dormie Club Superintendent.
“We had over 5 inches of rain leading into the storm and through the aftermath. All in all, other than putting bunkers back together several times and being on cart paths, we fared about as well as we hoped,” said Eric.
Being situated so near the hurricane’s damage, Dormie Club was quick to lend a hand to those who were more severely impacted. Eric and Zac give all credit to Greg Shields, Dormie Network’s Truck Driver. Greg’s connections within the farming community led him to Facebook posts requesting an urgent form of assistance—hay bales. While it may not be the first thing that comes to mind, farmers in the affected areas have faced flooded fields. Although many farm animals didn’t survive the storms, those that did are in desperate need of food and the farmers were left without resources due to the devastation. One round bale of hay will feed about 20 cows in a 24-hour period.
Greg notified Eric and Clint, Chief Agronomic Officer, of the need for hay and everyone agreed it was a great idea to donate Dormie Club’s hay bales to farmers in need. Greg got connected with three truck drivers to get the job done.
“Greg is the unsung hero,” Zac praised. “He drives the truck that hauls equipment to and from clubs around the Network for cultivation. He does a job that no one else wants to do. Greg is the man." Greg also played an instrumental role during the construction of GrayBull Club. “I’ve met a lot of great people in the Network,” said Greg about his many travels to and from GrayBull.
Hay bales being loaded at Dormie Club
Three truck loads of hay were loaded
On the morning of October 3rd, Greg loaded up the Dormie Network truck and drove three and a half hours to Marion, North Carolina to deliver hay to a local drop-off center. There, he spoke with a farmer who was picking up some square bales. The farmer lost his farm just off the Catawba River. “He lost all his goats, all his ducks, chickens, one horse, and one horse was still missing,” said Greg.
Greg was one of the first truckloads to deliver that morning. “All of the people there were so thankful,” he said.
Dropping the hay bales off in Marion, North Carolina
Marion, North Carolina drop-off location
By 3:00 p.m. that day, the other truck drivers arrived at Dormie Club and with Zac’s help, they loaded three 18-wheelers by dusk. Greg returned from Marion just as the final truck was being loaded. “It was warm out, and ants were everywhere,” joked Zac about the five hours it them to load up the hay bales.
“I wanted to help in some way. It was the least I could do.” - Zach Hinshaw
The following morning, the three drivers departed for the four-hour drive to WNC Regional Livestock Center in Canton, North Carolina, which became an impromptu distribution center for agricultural supplies post-hurricane.
Altogether, Dormie Club’s helping hands donated over 100 hay bales, which were picked up by those in the mountain region who needed them.
Greg plans on taking another load any day now. His motivation is simple: “It makes you feel good when you do something for somebody else.”
Want to help make a difference? Here’s how you can get involved and double your impact.
Join Dormie Network and Dormie Network Foundation in supporting hurricane relief efforts with a donation match program. Dormie Network will match each donation up to $50,000, dollar for dollar, and together we'll make a total donation of $100,000 to the American Red Cross.
As a thank you, a donation of $100 or more gives you the chance to win a 2-day, 1-night Stay and Play at Dormie Club.
The all-inclusive Stay and Play for four includes golf, lodging, food, beverage, and a forecaddie for the first round. Booking is subject to availability. The winner will be drawn once we reach our goal of $50,000.
$100 donation = 1 entry
$500 donation = 5 entries
$1,000 donation = 10 entries
