Burning to Help
Oklahoma Electric Cooperative members Jim and Annette Brown are the founders of the Maguire Community Foundation, Inc., also known as the Burn Barn. Photo by Jocelyn Pedersen
By Jocelyn Pedersen Y
ou won’t fi nd horses and hay when you walk into one particular barn in Slaugh- terville, Okla. What you will fi nd are lin- ens, silverware, mattresses and appliances, neatly organized and stacked from fl oor to ceiling—tow- ering above an earthly angel whose mission it is to help people in crisis.
The angel in disguise is Annette Brown who, along with her husband Jim, is co-founder of the Maguire Community Foundation, Inc.—commonly known as the Burn Barn. Located near the Maguire Farm Store, 9551 E. Maguire Rd. in Slaughterville, the Browns, who are members of Oklahoma Electric Coopera- tive (OEC), have been helping folks whose lives have been changed forever in an instant due to losing their homes to fi re or tornado for over 25 years. The items Annette Brown distributes are in like-new condition. No used mattresses or torn upholstery; no ragged towels or sheets. Giving away nice items is her pas- sion.
“Furniture has to be nice,” Brown said. “I don’t want the folks in need to get old, worn-out stuff. You try to make them feel better—they’ve lost everything.” Walking through the pristine warehouse where there are no bugs or signs of water leaks anywhere to be found, Brown indicates a huge, industrial ladder on wheels—the kind that fi rmly plants itself in place when in use.
“This ladder cost me two hugs. I needed it so bad. It rolls and moves,” Brown said. “You can stand on it and it goes down. A volunteer put rails on it. When I
asked ‘How much do I owe you,’ he said, ‘two hugs.’” Brown paused briefl y and smiled before adding, “Nice things happen.”
On average, the Burn Barn serves 42 families each year from Cleveland, Pontotoc, Garvin and McClain counties. Last year, it served 180. Recalling 2011’s scorching heat, wildfi res and se- vere weather, Brown reached for a tissue to dab her tear-fi lled eyes and said, “I couldn’t believe everything that happened last year. You’ve got so many people out there who need help, don’t you?”
Donations to the Burn Barn come in from various sources. Quilted, queen bedspreads from the Marri- ott hotel near Norman’s Postal Training Center are donated when the hotel buys new ones. Sometimes when loved ones pass away at retirement communi- ties, families will donate entire households of furni- ture. Other times, items such as furniture and micro- waves left behind by college students make their way into Brown’s hands for redistribution. But what happens when the Burn Barn gets low on items to distribute? Brown simply puts the word out. “I know everybody in the whole county,” Brown said. “I’ve lived here 50 years.”
And so it goes. Brown puts the word out and the shelves begin to fi ll.
OEC member, Marilyn Kring Brockhaus, has been involved with helping people through the Burn Barn while simultaneously helping Brown in her endeav- ors. For Brockhaus, it all started in the early 1990s with two of her children’s 4-H projects. From there, her involvement has grown through her work and church life.
Brockhaus
works for Loving Care Home Health and Hospice and recently iden- tifi ed an elderly couple who had moved, leaving all their belongings behind.
“They had no resources, were identifi ed as at-risk physically without some extra help to obtain food and physical resources,” Brockhaus said. “I was able to come pick up everything they needed for a house- hold to furnish their apartment. The Burn Barn, on occasion, can help with others in crisis.” She said through her home health and hospice job, she runs into people all the time who go into nurs- ing homes or pass away. In those situations, she lets families know that the Burn Barn is a place where they can donate whole households full of furniture. Brockhaus also connects people to her church. There are fi ve Catholic churches in the area with St. Vincent de Paul Societies that provide utility and rent assistance to help people who are not being served by any other place. In this way, families can be assisted in transitioning to a stable environment, she said. Brockhaus said the Burn Barn’s many volunteers and donors make up “a huge informal network of people helping other people. It’s a big help for people in the rural areas.” Furthermore, when a need arises, she’s seen the Browns put charity into action. “If push comes to shove,” Brockhaus said, “Jim and Annette have given me $25 out of their own pocket to help somebody.”
Crystal Jacobs, former OEC member, recently suf- fered the trauma of losing her home to fi re.
Continued on Page 18 JULY 2012 17
Slaughterville
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