Ranch gives away meat to people who are hurting because of COVID-19

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Every Saturday, families who need help are driving up to a fire station south of Colorado Springs and leaving with free beef.

Ranchlands started a donation program in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is perfect because this is what we need. We’ve been mostly getting vegetables, but we need protein to keep the kids going,” said Brittany Thomas, who picked up a donation this weekend after saying she was laid off from her job.

Families with children sign up online and are given a time slot to pick up a package of ground beef at the Hanover fire station from the cattle at Ranchlands’ Chico Basin Ranch.

“We’re helping 130 families on average a weekend. That has been a total of about 3,000 people at this point, and we have a little over 4,000 people on the list, so we’re hoping that we can just continue over the next few Saturdays until we get to everyone that is signed up,” said Tess Leach, director of business development at Ranchlands.

“There are people who are really struggling, and if we can help them by giving them food, that’s a wonderful thing to do,” said Julie Frost, a volunteer at Chico Basin Ranch.