Saturday, February 02, 2008

Cheese Benefit Pays Off

When you give people the opportunity, they can really come together to help out. Since the Black Sheep Creamery was inundated by flood waters in December, there has been an outpouring of concern for them and other farmers affected by the flooding in Washington and Oregon.

Last night, the Cheese for a Good Cause benefit for Brad and Meg Gregory of Black Sheep attracted more than 200 guests and volunteers to sample some of the Northwest's premier artisan cheeses, as well as beer, wine and food from some of the region's top purveyors. There were slides of the farm before and after the disaster, and it was heartbreaking to think that nearly all of the beautiful animals in those pictures were lost to the flood.

I spoke with the Gregorys, who were in attendance, and they said that friends and fellow farmers who had bought their lambs in the past would be donating lambs from this spring's lambing season, so Black Sheep's new herd would come from the same line of animals. They also said that the money from the benefit, which totaled nearly $7,500, would be a big help in rebuilding the farm.

If you'd like to contribute to the Gregorys or to other farm families that were devastated in the flooding, there is a list of places taking contributions here.

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