Restoring hope to WKY children this Christmas with rods, reels, lures, & tackle

Tackle the Storm Foundation provides rods  and reels to children caught up in the storms of life. 

Picture from Zane Leith's Facebook page, a family man from Mayfield, KY whose life was upended on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021.

As soon as the F4 tornado struck the town of Mayfield, KY, population 10K, the wheels were in motion to bring Tackle the Storm Foundation trailers to the children of the devastated community.

 “It matters not where they live, what language they speak, or income or education level. The only thing that matters is that 'the magic wand of childhood’, a fishing rod and reel, has been taken from them through the storm in their lives, could be weather-related, could be otherwise, we will be there for them.” This is the purpose of the 501(c) (3) federal charity that started providing rods and reels to children, big and small, in 2011. 

Don Barone, a columnist at Bassmaster, started posting about how to help the children of western Kentucky on his Facebook page Saturday morning, December 11, one day after the catastrophic tornado flattened much of Mayfield, KY. He said, “I don’t know if I’ve ever been to this town, but I’ve been in that area many, many times.” 

Barone’s plan is to secure an area of distribution for Tuesday, December 21, to hand out Christmas presents to the kids that include everything you need to catch a fish…rod, reel, lures, tackle…the works. He said they’re going to clear out the warehouse and as it stands, there are 1,750 kids combos. Barrone would like to see 2,000 complete packages on the truck for those that have lost so much.   

After the initial post, Barone stated he would reach out to Kentucky ‘bait and tackle folks’ to buy additional tackle. For now, a team is packing up the trailer while another works on logistics. It’s only a matter of time before they announce the planned event. The foundation is keeping the project under wraps, to some degree, while cleanup is going on in the affected area. 

If you’re unfamiliar with Tackle the Storm, it’s a foundation built for children. Since 2011, the non-profit organization has put ‘the magic wands of childhood’ in the hands of over 1,000 children. They have a website: tacklethestormfoundation.com with additional information and a link to donate money directly to this project for the children of Mayfield, KY. 

As cleanup continues in Mayfield, Dawson Springs, Cambridge Shores, Bowling Green, and other Kentucky counties and small towns, it’s people like Tackle the Storm Foundation that will make the children’s Christmas brighter and more hopeful. 

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.



​