Winter is over! The Freedom Farm is back to regular hours!
Season Six promises to be a very busy year for the Farm. We started off by reigniting our Rose Program, delivering roses to our heroes at the VA (see the Rose Program page for pics from the Valentines Day deliveries.) Our volunteer core will begin spring clean-up starting with the Navy Chiefs on March 25th and continuing once each month throughout the summer season. Along with the Chiefs, the recruits from RTC will also be out once a month to donate time to help us maintain the farm and care for our animals. U.S. Cellular is bringing out a group of employees to help with the planting of our gardens on May 11th.They will be on the farm for the entire day, and we should be able to complete our planting at this time.
We have had a new group extend their arms to help us continue our mission. The VFW Riders from Kenosha Wisconsin is stepping up to raise funds by doing a Poker Run on July 23 (see flyers below). This group of heroes donated our new flags for the season (see pic at the end of this paragraph) and became our first $100.00 corporate members. We were also invited to speak at the VFW District Council Meeting. This support will go a long way in helping our farms as they spread throughout the country.
New flags for the 2016 season
We have been fortunate to partner with JAIDA Design Corp. a L3C company that intends to employ veterans and special needs individuals to produce the product line. This partnership will give the Freedom Farm a firm funding source with which to carry out its mission, helping veterans and our military & families in any way we can. Look for the JAIDA line in stores in the near future!
The Freedom Farm has gone through many growing pains the past five years. We have experienced turnover in our volunteers and Board of Directors, and this is to be expected in an all-volunteer organization. There is a true vision and plan for the growth of the farm, and we will stay the course. We take pride in the fact that we have spent every donation for our veterans and their families.
All of us who work to make the Freedom Farm operate donate their time – we have no payroll. These are special people, and we do it because we realize that we owe everything to these heroes, and that the highest honor a person can possess is to be a called a veteran. No vote or any amount of money can buy you that honor, each must decide to step up and serve. The staff and volunteers at the Freedom Farm respect and honor these brave men and women, and help them and their families in any way we can..
Stop by and pay us a visit or see us at the Wadsworth Farmers Market every Friday throughout the summer,
“If we don’t try, we don’t do.”
Respectfully,
John Ress
Founder
Freedom Farm for Vets 