Alpacas ignore social distancing guidelines at the Harvard Alpaca Ranch. (Courtesy photo)
Earlier this month, Harvard Alpaca Ranch owners Matthew and Amy Varrell suspected that their animals—though perfectly healthy—might miss the attention normally provided by visitors to their Old Mill Road ranch, which has been closed since mid-March. With a bucket to collect money for the Loaves & Fishes pantry and their four alpacas, they traveled to the Westward Orchards farm store on Mass. Ave., which lent itself to the kind of drive-thru experience called for these days. In two hours, Sir Erik, Regalo (aka Reggie), Natcho, and Ivanhoe paraded past a steady stream of cars, charming the cars’ occupants with their whimsical-looking, expressive faces and raising $870 for the pantry. The Varrells matched that sum for a grand total of $1,740, a donation the pantry needs to meet higher-than-usual demand.
Donations ranged from the change people had in their cars to $20 bills, Matthew Varrell said. The ranch’s shop, which sells products made from alpaca fleece such as yarn, gloves, and scarves, is open online only, and that has affected business. “People are apt to buy a bit more after spending time with the animals, being introduced to them by name, and being out and about on the ranch,” Matthew Varrell said. Manure sales, however, are up. “So many people are home, thinking about their gardens,” he said.
Varrell noted that fellow Agricultural Advisory Committee member Kerri Green offered to host the fundraiser outside her family’s Westward store. “We’d been looking for a way to collaborate,” he said.
The Harvard Alpaca Ranch first opened in 2016 and will reopen for tours when it is safe to do so, the owners said. Meanwhile, products are available for curbside pickup or shipping at harvardalpacaranch.com
