Veterans Healing Farm

Agritherapy: Our tomato team worked differently this last season using straw bales to grow our tomatoes. We grew about 30 different varieties and gave away over 6,500 lbs of produce despite our small harvesting area due to the move. We gave away tomatoes to Veterans and caregivers at the Charles George VA Medical Center, Safelight Womens Shelter, IAM Food Pantry, the Rescue Mission of Hendersonville, the Storehouse, and the Veterans Restoration Quarters (180 bed Veteran homeless shelter in Asheville). We also changed our mission with supply runs during Hurricane Helene and checking in on veterans in our community who needed help. The Bee Squad took wonderful care of our hives and harvested 5 gallons of honey in our shortened season, while also getting them moved and settled into their temporary home at Johnson Farm until they could move home. Our Medicinal Herb Squad grew and processed 70 different medicinal plants with the teas, tinctures, salves and balms given to our Veteran community for sleep issues, anxiety, and inflammation. Our volunteers helped tremendously, 3,856 volunteer hours through 340 volunteers (produce, medicinal herbs, flower, and beekeeping teams) but also with packing and moving our farm and unpacking at the new location.

Workshops: This year VHF ran 57 workshops for over 500 participants with a 92% approval rating. Workshops included equine therapy, canine therapy, art therapy, music therapy, neurofeedback therapy, vegetable canning, floral arrangements, art classes, jam making, mushroom growing, medicinal herbs, etc. This was also our third season of offering suicide prevention classes to the entire community. To date we have trained 68 individuals in suicide prevention. We did many different outings to include fly-fishing, tourist games, kayaking trips, and hikes out in the community.