$8,942 was raised in donations and ticket sales for a raffle held by Ekalaka and Plentywood at their football game in Ekalaka on August 31st to benefit those impacted by the Remington Fire near Ashland. Stockman Bank then partnered with the two schools, pledging a dollar-for-dollar match of the funds raised- which brought the total relief fund to $17,884.
A variation of “you never know when it could happen to you, and you’ll be the one needing help” was given by many of the community members involved in the fundraiser, including the Superintendent of Ekalaka Public Schools James Kapptie.
The prizes and inspiration for the raffle began with a half of beef donated by T7 Cattle, and by the time the Saturday game rolled around, the prize pool had been extended to include two halves of hog donated by Ryan and Abbey Bruski as well as another two quarters of beef donated by T7 Cattle. According to Mr. Kapptie, the winner of the full half of beef also turned around and re-donated it to victims of the Remington Fire.
Mitch Grove, who represented Stockman Bank at Ekalaka’s check presentation on Thursday, explained that the Rosebud County Cattlewomen would be utilized to help with dispersal of the raised funds to those impacted by the fires.
As of September 12th, the fire-tracking site InciWeb listed the Remington Fire at 88 percent containment with over 196,000 acres burned. Losses include hundreds of miles of fencing, acres of hay, structures, and livestock.