HAMILTON, AL -About fourteen miles down AL-17 from Hackleburg you will find the small town of Hamilton; a small town with a HUGE heart. Their neighbors to the north in Hackleburg bore the brunt of an eF5 tornado that virtually destroyed their town on April 27th. Virtually every public building in town was destroyed or heavily damaged and the county’s largest employer, the Wrangler jean plant was flattened. Dozens of people lost their lives and hundreds of homes were destroyed. A tragedy for any town but especially for Hackleburg a town of only 1,600 people. But the story doesn’t stop in this town as this monster tornado ripped through several other small towns and crossroads in Marion county leaving hundreds of people without homes and jobs.

When the Red Cross pulled out of their relief center in Hamilton they asked the mayor Bobby Holliday if there was a non-profit that could step up and take over the relief center. Frieda Palmer and Jeff Martin owners of the Reins of Life Youth Ranch didn’t hesitate a minute in deciding to jump in and help their fellow citizens. Every day since May 1st the Reins of Life Disaster relief center has received donations from around Alabama and the country and worked tirelessly to get them into the hands of those who desperately need them. This part of Alabama is very remote and with the major employer in the area out of business the needs will be ongoing here for quite some time. Even with all the needs here this town shared from their stores with the people in the mid-west [see article]
A little background on the Reins of Life Youth Ranch which is located on 85 acres just outside of town. It is a full time ministry that has had to cancel fundraisers that they depend on to continue to operate. Since taking on the relief effort they have only taken in $350. Their horse rescue program is geared towards children of disadvantaged, low income situations who come out to the ranch to learn about farm life and help care for the horses. The children ‘earn’ riding lessons and these lessons help them build confidence, conquer fears and develop compassion. [more about Reins of Life]

If you would like to help support them as they continue to meet the daily needs of the people of Marion County, Alabama you may make your donation through PayPal.

Reins of Life
267 Cotton Gin Road
Hamilton, AL 35570

Reins of Life Youth Ranch is a non-profit  501 (c)3 and all donations are tax deductible.
For more information contact Frieda at 205-546-0955

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