People Help Nowata Co. Flood Victim Feed Her Cattle

Flooding destroyed hundreds of acres of pasture for a rancher north of Chelsea, so she has no way to feed her cattle.

Sherri Lewis got on Facebook looking to buy hay but ended up getting something she never expected

She found out there was donated hay, just sitting in Muskogee for this very purpose, all she had to do was come and get it. She couldn't do that, but some good Samaritans did.

Lewis' husband is recovering from his fifth back surgery and her fields are flooded, her pastures brown and filled with muck and her 100 head of mother cows need to be fed.

Lewis said, "I wasn't asking for a handout, just asking if anybody had anything available."

Major Coy Jenkins with the Rogers County Sheriff’s office heard about Lewis’ situation and asked a local business to provide a truck and trailer to go pick up the hay and deliver it.

The folks at Auto definitions jumped at the chance to help, so they headed to Muskogee, where the Cattleman's association had asked members to donate a spare bale or two for people in need.

Stetson Richards, another rancher said, "we’re really fortunate to be able to give a helping hand to others in need."

Those donations piled up at the Muskogee Fairgrounds and they were thrilled to help Lewis and her husband, so they loaded up several bales and headed to Alluwe, a tiny town north of Chelsea, in Nowata County.

Major Coy Jenkins with the Rogers County Sheriff's office says, "When you have a situation as dramatic as this flooding, people aren’t just helping in their own county, they're reaching out across lines, helping one another."

Watching that trailer load of hay come up the driveway, brought tears to Sherri's eyes and her heart filled with gratitude.

Lewis said, "I’m used to being on the other end. I'm the one that helps everybody. It's hard. This is humbling, truly humbling."

The sheriff's office says it really doesn't matter to them who needs help, when it's a neighbor, they want to pitch in.