Winging its way to Alaska

I should have put this post up immediately, but we've been busy. However I wanted to assure everyone that every cent of your donations to the Jenny Lamb fundraiser have already winged their way to Alaska.

The day after Christmas, I made plans to go into Spokane to transfer the funds to Jenny's account at Key Bank. Wisely my husband called the bank in advance (to make sure of the procedure) only to learn that that branch of Key Bank had been shut down, and the nearest branch was now a three-hour drive away.

Ooookay. That wasn't going to work.

So instead he called our local bank -- where the Paypal funds had been deposited -- and asked if we could somehow transfer the funds to Key Bank, as long as we had the correct account number and the routing number. Our bank said yes, so I took off for the 45-minute drive to the county seat where our bank is located.

On the way I saw lots of geese hanging around the frozen edges of the lake, with coots farther out on the water.

I wanted to photograph everything I could (without giving away any personal data) in order to reassure those who entrusted us with their donations, that everything went to Jenny.

We received one non-Paypal donation (a check) in the generous amount of $200, so I deposited that into the account along with all the Paypal donations. That way the bank could wire the combined amount straight to Jenny's account.

Here's the total amount wired: $2026.24.

The banker typed in all the correct routing and account numbers, then handed me the papers to confirm she had input everything correctly.

Then I put my John Hancock on it, and that was it! The money was wired that afternoon and was deposited in Jenny's account by no later than yesterday morning.

Once again, allow me to offer a profound and grateful THANKS on Jenny's behalf for everyone's contributions. While it arrived a day too late to be an official Christmas present, I'm certain it helped to brighten the first Christmas without her husband.

Donations closed

We have closed the window of opportunity here at Rural Revolution to donate to the Jenny Lamb fundraiser. Due to your generosity, we have accumulated $1826.24 !!!!!!!!!!

[UPDATE: I just returned from town where I checked our P.O. box... and found a check for Jenny from a reader in the amount of $200!! This brings our grand total to $2026.24!!]

Don and I have made our personal donation too, of course; and we're also donating all the money received from any recent purchases of my canning ebooklets. We're also donating (so to speak) the Paypal fees associated with the fundraiser.

Don has already transferred the money to our personal bank account. It will take a few days for that transfer to go through. (We took screenshots and have a paper printout of all donations -- we want everyone to know that every penny is going to Jenny). Next week I'll head into the city with a check for that full amount, which I'll deposit at a branch of Jenny's bank. Assuming the bank teller is cooperative, I'll take a photo of the transaction to provide documentation.

If you missed this chance and would still like to make a contribution to Jenny and her two young sons, there is a memorial fund set up by Wells Fargo Bank in the name "Chuck Lamb Donation Account," account number 7348691358 [NOTE: Reader Steve pointed out that my original number was off by one digit, making a donation this way impossible. He very kindly sent the correction after communicating with Jenny, so the above account number is correct.] You can make a donation via any Wells Fargo Bank branch; or, as Steve noted, "A donation may be made at a bank other than WF but the account # and the account holder's name - "Wayne Bowman" must be included." Thanks Steve!

I want to thank you all for your incredible generosity on Jenny's behalf. Jenny isn't presently at a location with constant internet access (and may not be until after Christmas), but I'm positive I can speak for her in expressing her gratitude.

Folks, I don't know if I've ever used this blog as a platform to ask for money for a cause... but when I did, you came through with flying colors to help a woman facing some really, really tough times ahead.

God bless you all.

Update on Jenny Lamb fundraiser

For all who have been wondering about how the fundraiser is going for Jenny Lamb of The Last Frontier blog (whose husband was tragically killed in mid-October), you'll be pleased to know that we've raised over $1500!

I've been emailing Jenny (whenever she's close to an internet connection) and she gave me permission to post some additional info as follows:

I am more thankful than you realize. My husband, Chuck was a hunting guide, and died shortly after the fall hunts before he was paid. When the outfitter he worked for found out that Chuck died, he refused to pay me. We were counting on living on that money for the upcoming year! But, God has been providing for us. We have already received so much. Several people have offered to purchase various things for our house we're building, such as the roofing, stove pipes, or come out to do the work to finish it. That, along with the donations will be much more than my husband earned from that outfitter... God bless you and your family, and all those who have blessed us.

When I expressed outrage at this news, Jenny added some additional information in a later email:

In all fairness to the outfitter Chuck worked for, I just received an email from him saying that he has [very reluctantly] decided to pay me the entire amount. He said he would deliver it to the air taxi where we get our mail, but he has not yet done so. We'll see. I had filed an official complain with the professional licensing division, and they have been diligent in trying to get him to pay, although they cannot force it. I had also told so many people that he was getting phone calls from folks around the state asking him to pay. If this doesn't work, I'll go to the Dept. of Labor, and file a complain with the Guide Board. They can't make him pay, either, but complaints hurt his reputation, and will be a pain in the neck to him.

Friends in the interior of AK have invited us to spend Christmas and New Year's with them, so we're heading into town next week. Some other folks who have been planning to come out to help me learn to cut trees, maintain the equipment, etc, live kind of remote, and have invited us to spend a couple of months with them so that I can learn those skills without the pressure to master everything during the week or so they can visit me. In some ways I feel like a failure for doing that, but I think it will be very helpful in the long run.

Thank you all again. My words are so inadequate. I pray that, when I get back on my feet, I'll be in a position to bless others as much as I have been blessed through this tragedy.

I hope all of you wonderful, generous readers have an inkling of how much your prayers and donations mean to this woman and her two young boys.

We plan to keep the fundraiser open until December 21 (this upcoming Friday), after which time we'll transfer the funds to Jenny's bank in Alaska.

We hope it will help mitigate, to some small degree, the first Christmas she'll experience without her husband. God bless you all for your help.

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone for their wonderful generosity in donating to a fund for Jenny Lamb (The Last Frontier blog) whose husband was recently killed in a tragic accident. So far we've accumulated over $800!!!

We'll keep this fund open for donations until Friday December 21, at which time we'll send everything to Jenny.

This fundraiser is not the only way to help in this time of grief. Today SurvivalBlog noted that there is an official memorial fund set up through Wells Fargo Bank. The announcement is as follows:

A follow-up on the tragic accidental death of Chuck Lamb (the husband of Jenny of The Last Frontier blog.) A Special Memorial Fund has been set up by Wells Fargo bank, to benefit Jenny and her two young sons. The account number is 734869135. It is in the name "Chuck Lamb Donation Account". You can make a donation via any Wells Fargo Bank branch.

There is also a "donation" button directly on Jenny's blog.

I urge everyone who can spare a dollar or two to help keep this young family afloat. Jenny and her two young boys face some hard times in an unforgiving terrain without the strong arms of a husband and father. Donations through this blog can be made here.

God bless you all for your generosity, and please keep praying.

Please help

Dear readers, I am asking for your generous help.

Yesterday I learned through SurvivalBlog that Jenny Lamb, the amazing homesteader in remote Alaska, lost her husband in a tragic accident in mid-October. This leaves her widowed with two very young boys.

Here’s the entry from SurvivalBlog: Jenny of The Last Frontier blog has reported the tragic death of her husband, in an accident. Please keep Jenny and her two young sons in your prayers. She mentioned that they are moving back to their homestead for the rest of the winter. I'll post word if I hear about a memorial fund. (She hadn't been posting to her blog much in the past couple of years because of the high cost of flying in propane for their genset. She and her husband built their Alaska homestead on a limited budget.)

Here’s Jenny's blog post on the subject: It's been a long time since I updated my blog. Chuck and I had been very busy building our new log cabin that we hoped to be in by next summer, and we'd been expanding our garden. Then, the unthinkable happened. Chuck was killed in a tragic accident. The boys and I are back out at our homestead trying to rebuild our lives. I don't know how we're going to make it alone out here, but with the help and prayers of friends, I'm sure we will. It's going to be rough going, and I sure have a lot to learn. Please keep our family in your prayers.

Jenny and I have corresponded in the past, and she’s a kind-hearted and delightful woman. I was shocked to hear of her loss, and wanted to do something to help her besides pray.

So I am proposing that folks pitch in and donate some money to help her out. We have a PayPal account and will accept donations on Jenny’s behalf, with all funds to be forwarded to her either directly, or through any official memorial fund that may be set up in the future.

To donate, please go to PayPal.com and click on Transfer Money to Friends.

A page will come up with a white box saying “Send someone money.”

In the “To” box, type in the following email address:

shrewsburydon@hotmail.com

At this point, you have to be a member of PayPal to continue. You can choose the amount to donate.

Please join us in doing something concrete for Jenny Lamb and her boys to help them in their time of need.

P.S. Jenny has no idea we’re doing this. I hope it will be a nice Christmas present during her time of grief.