After the death of his 4-year-old granddaughter, Steve Wollyung of Connersville, Indiana, received an "overwhelming" gift of generosity from his fellow farmers and community.
According to WXIN, Tara Henry, a longtime friend of the Wollyung family, called upon a few farmers to pitch in to help cover the 100 acres still left to harvest after the "unthinkable tragedy."
Eventually, more than 60 people from surrounding counties reached out to Henry to either donate time or equipment.
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On Saturday, Nov. 12, the group of farmers came together with their combines, semis and grain carts. Other friends and neighbors donated food and drinks.
"I couldn’t believe it when I saw everyone show up to help. All of the support and the number of people wanting to help is just overwhelming," Wollyung told WXIN. "It was emotional to see everyone. Whatever we needed, they brought."
The community's day of service resulted in 18,463 bushels harvested, which Wollyung said would have taken him about a week to complete on his own.
Wollyung told WXIN that he hoped his story could raise awareness about how dangerous farms can be for children. His granddaughter died after she was trapped in a grain wagon.
"We’re hoping this tragedy will help others down the road. Around Halloween, kids visit farms and play in corn mazes and it all looks so pretty and fun. But we need to teach them that farms are a place where serious work is done and it can be dangerous," he said.
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