From T-shirt sales to dessert auctions: Nebraskans help those affected by wildfire

RED WILLOW COUNTY, Neb. (KLKN) – As the Road 702 fire rages on in southwest Nebraska, members of the community and local businesses are stepping up to help firefighters and victims of the fire.

Danielle Rieker, co-owner of Ash and Rolly Clothing Co., said this is just what you do in rural communities.

“That is just the true rural Nebraska type of person, that you’ll leave your own farm to go help somebody else,” she said.

Her business is creating and selling “Nebraska Strong” T-Shirts to raise money for at least five volunteer fire departments that have been battling the fires.

“The firefighters and volunteers and people of the community are doing way more than we ever could do,” Rico said.  “Being able to give back to that, and the fire departments using those funds however they choose to, is priceless to us.”

Within 24 hours of the sale’s launch, more than 450 shirts were sold.

The shirts come in black and brick red and sizes from small to XXL.  In the brick red variety, the small and XXL sizes are already sold-out.

To purchase a T-Shirt, visit Ash and Rolly’s website.

Locals have the option to waive the shipping fee and pick up the shirts at Everstrong Wellness in McCook.

Meanwhile, in the town of Indianola, community members are planning on having a dessert auction and beef raffle at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Indianola Community Building.

They have already started receiving bids for desserts from folks in eastern Nebraska and as far away as Spokane, Washington.

Community members are doing all of this to help those who lost some or all of their livelihood to the fires.

One of the coordinators of the event, John O’Dea, wants to raise a lot of money to help those in need.

“We’re gonna try and generate funds to buy feed and supplies for ranchers that lost their feed, lost their fences and their water tanks and things like that,” he said.

He’s hoping to raise at least $10,000 from the raffle and auction.

If you can’t make it to the event, O’Dea said people can send bids via text message to him at 308-340-1140.

He will represent you at the auction and will let you know if you are the highest bidder.

If you want to find other ways to help, see Channel 8’s story about other neighbors helping farmers.