The owner and operator of a local sanctuary in Gainesville is fundraising to continue her mission of providing abused and abandoned farm animals with a home.
When Deborah Andrews first purchased her 52 acre farm on Roy Parks Rd six years ago, she said it was essentially a large field with one fence. Now, Daydream Rescue Sanctuary is home to 68 animals, including horses, cows, pigs, chicken, goats and sheep.
“[It] takes a lot of patience, which I never knew I really had,” Andrews told AccessWDUN. “So when you have someone or an animal, I refer to them like people, because I'm around them so much, you spend a lot of time with them. You have to sit with them. You do a lot of talking with them, and you just really, really have to be patient.”
While the farm mainly cares for elderly or sick animals, Andrews shared that she and her volunteers also aim to create a safe space for adults with disabilities.
“We get volunteers that come with their adult children, and we work with them here,” Andrews said. “We start with small responsibilities… We work slowly, and they build up great confidence, and they work side by side with their parent…everybody gets a huge amount of personal development.”
The sanctuary also focuses on educating the community, especially children and teens, on the importance of local agriculture. While Andrews takes pride in the non-profit’s efforts, she said, the farm, which is currently at maximum capacity, faces several challenges.
“Over the last few years, we've had very little monthly funding,” Andrews said. “We do have a GoFundMe that we started, and that will help us get through at least the next year, because I also have to go through cancer surgery, so we need to stock up on hay, feed, medicine and the daily things.”
Andrews said on average, running the sanctuary costs roughly $3,500, which includes the cost to feed all animals, and perform daily repairs on equipment. However, in the winter, the costs associated with its mission jumps to about $4,500, which factors in protecting animals from harsh winter conditions.
“We can't put a pause button on this,” Andrews emphasized. “So every day, the feeding, the medications, but also we have to check the fences…we have to make sure the electric fence is working. Nothing's broken... [We’ve] got to keep things sanitary, because if it's not sanitary, disease comes in. So it's just constant.”
Aside from the non-profit’s GoFundMe, Daydream also offers several services to help support its mission. One of its most successful endeavors serves North Georgia’s Hindu Community, by allowing Annabell, one of the farm’s rescued cows, to be used for various ceremonies.
The farm is also home to several miniature ponies, which are available to book for interactions with children. Daydream offers pony lessons, where children can learn how to take care of a pony. The ponies are also available for birthday parties, with the option to have a party at the farm or bring them to a party location.
Andrews said the community can also help her mission by volunteering their time to care for the animals.Those looking to volunteer can do so by reaching out to the sanctuary’s Facebook page, though Andrews noted that due to the challenges the work presents, volunteers over the age of 18 are preferred.
As Andrews works to maintain the sanctuary, she said its impact goes beyond healing animals.
“This is not for me, “ she said. “I started this. I retired to do this. This is just a community project. I didn't need to do this. It's all about community involvement and therapy, because there's not enough of this going on with our city growing and changing. We need a peaceful farm. Kids need to see a different side of life besides computers and seeing the apartments in Gainesville. They need quiet. They need hands-on [experience.] They need to touch and feel animals, learn responsibility and just have a different kind of healing from the inside out, both parents and children alike.”
To learn more about Daydream Rescue Sanctuary, click here.
