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“You are stronger than you think. You have gotten through every bad day in your life, and you are undefeated.” – Unknown

A Few Highlights From 2024 

What a year it's been! Ups and downs, smiles and frowns but through it all we continued to move forward (sometimes sideways).

• We received wonderful international recognition for our work in Veteran healing when a delegation from Ukraine visited us! They’re eager to learn how to support their Veterans as they return home and address the trauma they’ve experienced. The delegation visited two other locations – both VA Medical Centers. 

• We finished our 3rd Veterans Resource Fair - 38 organizations that provide services to Veterans with over 400 in attendance. 

• Added new therapeutic workshops and events including blacksmithing, beginner’s guitar, kayaking, leatherworks, fly fishing, mushroom foraging, Asheville Tourists games, NC State Certified Peer Support Specialist 50-hour class. 

• An example of some of our other workshops and events include, equine therapy, canine therapy, art therapy, wellness retreat, mushroom foraging, medicinal herbs, neurofeedback therapy, beekeeping, tomatoes, suicide prevention, mental health first aid and many more. 

• 2024 finished with 57 therapy and therapeutic workshops with 574 total signed up (2023 numbers were 49 workshops with 477 participants).

• Distributed 5,000lbs of produce and flowers at the Charles George VA Medical Center (Veterans, caregivers and family members), the Veterans Restoration Quarters (male, Veteran, homeless shelter), Safelight Women's Shelter, IAM food pantry, the Rescue Mission, and other organizations in need. 70,000lbs to date.

• Honored as the Nonprofit of the Year from the Hendersonville Chamber of Commerce (received in January 2024).

• 225 volunteers contributing 3000 hours to the VHF.

• Our third financial review from Corliss and Solomon, PLLC, passed again with flying colors. 5-star ratings on all nonprofit review sites.

• Active in Hurricane Helene relief efforts – welfare checks on veteran households; running supplies between Charlotte and WNC. 17 camp showers delivered to Swannanoa and help arranged for the transport of trailers from Raleigh Durham. 

• Held our first events at our new home; chili and bonfire, Friendsgiving, and the 1st annual Holiday Celebration and Cookie Contest. 

Wishing you the Happiest of New Years! 2025 will be the best one ever!

Volunteering at the Farm

There is no required commitment of time, or duties. Come and go as you please, and participate in what you would like to help with (or come and just hang out). Current teams include:

Vegetable Garden Volunteers

The soil needs worked, the weeds need picked, the starts need started, the produce needs picked, washed, and prepared for distribution. Volunteers will learn about the various aspects of organic farming. No prior farming experience necessary.

Grounds Maintenance Volunteers

Grounds maintenance focuses on the overall health of the land. This includes tree and bush trimming, cutting grass, clearing land, pond health, and various landscape projects. No prior experience necessary.

Flower Squad Volunteers

We grow a variety of flowers which are then made into bouquets and distributed at the Charles George VA Medical Center. You will plant, harvest and maintain our beautiful flower gardens. We’ll also have a flower design class for the team. No prior experience necessary.

Medicinal Herb Squad Volunteers

The Medicinal Herb Squad is led by our Plant Medicine Director, Rebecca Vann. Volunteers here will learn to grow the most popular and locally appropriate medicinal herbs, e.g., echinacea, valerian, skullcap, lemon balm, ginseng, goldenseal, black cohosh, chamomile, elderberry, and 50+ others. The Squad then harvests the herbs and helps make them into tinctures, teas, balms, and salves used by our Veterans – and volunteers! Rebecca also teaches workshops throughout the summer, at no charge to our members. No prior experience necessary.

Bee Squad Volunteers

The volunteer beekeepers raise and care for our honeybees. They construct and clean hives, induct wild swarms, splitting colonies, mite treatment, collect honey, and ensure the overall health of the hive. No prior bee experience necessary.

Tomato Squad Volunteers

Volunteers will have the opportunity to grow and learn about a wide variety of heirloom tomatoes. No experience necessary!

Back Office Volunteers

There is always plenty of work that doesn’t involve physical labor. We need volunteers to help with the back-end operations of the farm. This is accomplished through our volunteer committees for marketing, social media, events, membership, website development, fundraising, and community outreach. If you have any of these skills, new members are welcome and needed.

Make sure you find the opportunity that suits you best. For more information, please email veteranshealingfarm@gmail.com, subject line - Volunteering.

MILITARY APPRECIATION NIGHT

Join the Veterans Healing Farm for a great night of ice hockey! Swamp Rabbits Military Appreciation Night against the Jacksonville Ice Men. This game honors all military, active, veteran, and remembered, in this staple night of their season. They will once again showcase one of the largest American flags ever on ice for the performance of our national anthem during pregame ceremonies.

When: Saturday, February 22, 2025

Where: The Bon Secours Wellness Arena, 650 N Academy St, Greenville, SC

Time: If riding in the VHF van, please plan on meeting at the Farm, 138 Kimzey Road, Mills River, NC no later than 5:15pm. Puck drops 7:05pm. 

If interested in attending please email veteranshealingfarm@gmail.com, subject line - Hockey.

Black Box Dance Theatre Presents

PATRIOT’S Path: The Theseus Legacy

Join Black Box Dance Theatre, Brothers and Sisters Like These and local Veterans for an unforgettable evening of movement and storytelling in Patriot’s Path: The Theseus Legacy. This powerful performance blends history, myth, and personal narratives to explore the hero’s journey—through a combination of dance and spoken word, the production honors the courage, sacrifice, and resilience of those who have served.

Part history, part personal reflection, and all profoundly human, this evening of high art invites audiences to witness the intersection of myth and memory in an immersive, heartfelt exploration of what it means to serve, struggle, and return home.

When: Sunday, January 12, 2025

Where: Tina McGuire Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave., Asheville, NC

Time: Performance begins at 3pm

Mead Brewing Workshop

with Rob Kinard, Founder, Good Times Mead*

Each student will be leaving with a 1 gallon carboy filled with fermenting must (honey/water/nutrients/yeast), to take home and nurture into a gallon of their own mead!

Learning how to make our own batch of Good Times mead will certainly be a 'good time!'

In this workshop you'll learn how to prep and sanitize your equipment, mix your must (honey/water), start your yeast, add organic nutrients, pitch your yeast, follow the Tailored Organic Staggered Nutrient Addition (TOSNA) 3.0 protocol, and take Alcohol By Volume (ABV) readings.

Each student will leave with a 1 gallon glass carboy filled with fermenting must as well as organic nutrients, which in approximately 1 month (if attended to correctly!) will become 1 gallon of (hopefully!) delicious 14.5% mead!

*Veteran-owned business. We at Good Times Mead are passionate about three things: Good mead, good times with family and friends, and supporting our Veterans by any and all means available, with a particular emphasis on preventing Veteran suicide. To that end, a portion of the proceeds of each and every purchase of anything we have to offer goes to Veteran support organizations, to include The Green Beret Foundation, Stop Soldier Suicide, and the Veterans Healing Farm in Hendersonville, NC. Our Veterans have paid and continue to pay a heavy price for the freedoms we enjoy, and deserve the admiration, respect, and support of our great nation. Learn more about GTM here.

When: Saturday, January 18, 2025

Where: Veterans Healing Farm, 138 Kimzey Road, Mills River, NC

Time: 12-3pm

Valentine Gift Making

Come join us for a lotion bar and bath salts class just in time for Valentine's Day! We will be making golden rose (rose and calendula) lotion bars with matching bath salts. Great for gift giving or just treating yourself!

When: Saturday, February 8, 2025

Where: Veterans Healing Farm, 138 Kimzey Road, Mills River, NC

Time: 11 - 1pm

Build a Bluebird Nest Box

with Joe Sanders*

Help bluebirds thrive in your area by learning how to construct and place a bluebird nest box on your property. Bluebirds need human intervention in order to compensate for their natural habitats being overtaken by non-native species. This three-hour class will give a history of the bluebird and its lifecycle. Each participant will build their own cedar nest box of the type that has proven popular with bluebirds. Students will need to bring a hammer and wear sturdy shoes and clothing for a walk around the Veterans Healing Farm campus where we’ll set-up a few new nest boxes. No carpentry experience is required. You will go home with a completed bluebird nest box, mounting pole, and written information on attracting bluebirds to your property.

*Joe Sanders is a Navy veteran and has been working with bluebird restoration for over 30 years. He is currently a County Representative for the North Carolina Bluebird Society and has taught classes to numerous community garden groups and currently monitors nest boxes during the nesting season.

When: Friday, February 28, 2025

Where: Veterans Healing Farm, 138 Kimzey Road, Mills River, NC

Time: 12 - 3pm

Unbroken Spirit

2025 Programs are now open!

The Veterans Healing Farm is partnering with Unbroken Spirit to empower you with training, support, and resources to unlock your full potential. Discover how their 3 Phase Transformative Program can help you become your best-self. This Veterans program is completely free.

2025 Programs are open now and space is limited. Apply Today! In-person dates are: 

• May 20-25, 2025
• July 21-27. 2025, Adaptive Sports 
• Sep 16-21, 2025

Check out the videos from our Spring Wilderness Experience team and Summer Adaptive Team. The team came as strangers and left as lifelong friends. For more information or questions, please email info@unbrokenspirit.org.