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The Free Range Foundation Funds

Report from the acting treasurer, Chris Jefferies.

The Free Range Foundation funds started through a classic fund raising effort in December of 1997.  

It all started, innocently enough, upon our yearly arrival at the Stillwell's store late in the evening.  After signing up for our stay at Adam's Ranch, I asked Dadie if the folks at the ranch would mind if we helped ourselves to some wood for our late night campfire.  Dadie indicated that she saw no problem and we said our goodbye's and took off into the Big Bend night headed for the border.

We got our wood that evening and had a good welcome fire.

The next day we made arrangements with the ranch foreman, Andres, to bring a  load of wood and he brought about a half a cord that afternoon.  Those present collected about $35 and passed it on to him, not as direct payment (he had asked for nothing specific in return) but more as an appreciation for his effort in bringing the wood.

The next day we got a rare visit from the ranch manager, Lee Roberts.  He was burley looking and a gracious good ol' Texas Aggie.  He let us know that the wood we had was ours to burn as we wished but that due to a "misunderstanding", we would have to pay $180 a cord for any more we used.  We were on our honor to take what we wanted and to settle up at the Stillwell's on our way out.

This spawned an all out effort to collect funds for the wood and I became the keeper of those funds, hence the I am the currently acting treasurer.  

We paid for an extra half cord that first year which was $90 and after the dust settled on the zip lock baggy full of bills, there was still $146 left.

When we made contact for arrangements with the folks at Stillwell and with Lee Roberts in 1998, we were informed that there was no wood to purchase, but that we were welcome to collect as much as we needed, for free.

Finally, when we arrived at Adams ranch, we collected some wood to get things started and the next day the foreman approached us with an offer of wood.  What he had was about a cord of Huisache (it is a relative of the Mesquite in the legume family).  It's wasn't mesquite, but it was good wood.  For that we paid him $50.  What a bargain.

So now we're down to $96 and I suppose we'll put it towards another purchase of what else,  "Millennium Wood".  Mesquite, Huisache, Mahogany.