Food drive supports museum animals
Molly Myer, who takes care of the animals at the Museum of Appalachia, holds one of the museum’s rabbits. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
Molly Myer, whose job is taking care of them, said that the museum, along Andersonville Highway in Norris, depends on grants and revenue from fund-raising events, memberships and donations to operate, but needs extra help during the winter to keep the animals fed.
During the winter, grazing is not an option for some of the farm animals at the museum.
“The museum receives grants for our history collections and grounds, but the animals rely on direct support from our community to stay fed, happy, and healthy,” she said.
Last year was the first time for the museum to host its fall animal food drive through October, and now the time has come to do it again.
“My hope is to stock enough food to carry our animals through the winter, when care becomes even more demanding,” Myer said as last year’s drive began.
“We have donkeys, goats, sheep, horses, pigs, chickens, ducks, turkeys, peacocks and rabbits, along with our three museum cats, Cat Stevens, Oreo and Marilyn,” she said.
“I’ve always been an animal lover, and I’ve been taking care of the animals here since June 2023,” Myer said. She is the wife of museum official Will Myer, who is a grandson of the museum’s founder, John Rice Irwin.
People who want to help keep the museum’s animals fed may pick up feed at Clinton’s Tractor Supply store or the Anderson County Farmers Co-Op in Clinton and deliver it to the museum – or just pay for it and leave it at either store, and Myer will go by to pick up the donations.
Monetary donations may also be made on Venmo or the museum’s website, she said. “You can find our preferred feed list on our website.”
Monetary donations: Venmo @MuseumOfAppalachia or donate online (note “animal food drive”): museumofappalachia.org/donate.