Posted on Sep 06, 2017
By Ellie Laks, Founder of The Gentle Barn
We're back in Missouri, working on the last touches to the property, barns and fences to bring the St. Louis Six home, to rescue more animals, and to open our doors to the community. We accomplished so much in August, but have so much to still complete before we can have our grand opening. We need to construct the entrance to the property, remove rocks and add packed dirt to the barn for the smaller animals, bring in a load of sand for the cow barn, finish the gift shop, build the Sun Chlorella Healing Center, and put in a fence for our dogs. Wow, that's a lot of work! We'll be working twelve hour days for the next three weeks in the hopes that we can have our first open Sunday in September. We would love your help. If you’d like to volunteer, email Jason at infomo@gentlebarn.org.
It's almost hunting season in Missouri and we work daily to the sound of target practice and gun blasts. We've fenced the perimeter of the property, hung “no hunting” signs on the fences, and put purple "no hunting, no trespassing" paint on all the perimeter trees. We can only hope that the deer know that we're kind and seek refuge with us. There are already four deer that are on our land daily, eating from the garden. We'll continue to grow the plants they like and we pray that they stay here and stay safe. Through our programs, we will connect children to nature and open their hearts to animals. We'll create future generations who'll protect and love animals instead of hunt or eat them.
The Gentle Barn Missouri will be an oasis, lit up by love, light, and gentleness. It will beckon people to visit and fall in love with life. It will cleanse the community, open their hearts, and change their minds. It will be a place of healing and sanctuary for both animals and humans. The animals that live here will share their story of resilience, courage, and triumph with the world, and change it forever!
We could have never done this without you. Thank you so much for your generosity and support, enabling us to do this work!