Both Jeff and Charlene had always wanted to do animal rescue. Always. But then life happened.
They grew up not far from each other, and would have crossed paths hundreds of times, at the grocery store where he worked and her family shopped, at the pioneer days festivals they both attended, any number of activities. But they didn?Äôt meet until 2005 when they lived just seven houses away from each other.
Charlene?Äôs son Christopher was the best friend of Jeff?Äôs neighbor and they spent a lot of time in Jeff?Äôs garage. As a dutiful mom, Charlene came to check out who her kid was hanging out with. By then, Christopher was calling him ?Äúuncle Jeff.?Äù Jeff asked her on a date, and Charlene very reluctantly agreed.
Christopher encouraged it. ?ÄúLook mom,?Äù he told her, ?ÄúTall plus nice equals love.?Äù Christopher was 7.
She was nervous at Red Lobster on their first date. Very nervous. Until Jeff reached over and touched her hand. ?ÄúIt?Äôs only dinner,?Äù he said.
They married three months later.
She joked that she could have moved to his place with a wheelbarrow. And she did, at least partly.
Fast-forward to July 2015 when the couple, now sharing the last name Stromwall, stumbled upon the chance to buy an old farm near Eden Valley with 10+ acres. They knew their dream of an animal rescue needed space, and this fit the bill perfectly. They first had to do a lot of repairs to the farmhouse that was in rough shape. Now they?Äôre preparing fencing and the big barn to house animals.
Jeff and Charlene Stromwall with their son Christopher are busy renovating a barn and outbuildings on their Eden Valley farm preparing to house rescued farm animals. Staff photo by Jean Doran Matua.
They?Äôve done the paperwork to be a registered animal rescue and 501(c)3, and will soon open to accept abused, neglected and unwanted farm animals that are surrendered to them.
?ÄúBroken Roads Ranch?Äù is the name of their non-profit. They need money for start-up costs and will count on donations for ongoing feed and care fees. They have a GOFUNDME page, and they?Äôre on Facebook. Their website is broken roadsranch.org.
They need materials as well as they prepare a ?Äúforever home?Äù for rescue animals, whether they have a month or many years left of their natural lives.
Here?Äôs a list of specific needs right now: White high-moisture paint for inside the barn; lumber of all sorts; clear roof panels to replace leaky ones; windows, sliders would be best; metal barn siding; cement; plastic barn plumbing pipes and connecters; screws and nails of all types, cement blocks; bleach; paint sprayer for large areas; general sprayer for bleach or bug killer; fencing for stalls and pasture; fence posts; caulking for windows and doors; plywood; barn door hinges; cabinet doors and countertop for vet/wash room; small water heater. These can be gently used, damaged freight, or returned special orders.
Any donation will be welcome to help open and sustain the rescue, perhaps as early as late spring.
Meanwhile, the Stromwalls will be working away, full of passion, making their dream come true.
They?Äôve already helped to place an injured Muscovy duck last week, and a pig near
Albert Lea that may have fallen off a truck. They?Äôre getting two blind horses from Florida in the spring.
Oh, and ?ÄúBroken Roads?Äù comes from the Rascal Flatts song, ?ÄúBless the Broken Road.?Äù Jeff and Charlene?Äôs broken roads led them to each other and to their new cause.