SPOKANE, Wash. — A South Spokane farm is giving veterans and soon-to-retire service members a sense of purpose and a way to build connections while getting their hands dirty.
The “Vets on the Farm” program, located at a farm along the Palouse Highway, provides veterans with hands-on agricultural training while addressing the often-difficult adjustment from military to civilian life.
Samson Oluyori, who is weeks away from being done with the Air Force, said the program has been instrumental in planning his transition.
“Coming here, putting my hands in the dirt, learning how these things work, has been so helpful,” Oluyori said. “It’s a lot. I mean, we can’t say everything now, but it’s a lot, especially if you’re not really in that program, in that phase, you wouldn’t know how it feels.”
The program allows veterans to work alongside others who understand the unique challenges of military-to-civilian transition. For Oluyori, the experience provided him with a new direction.
“Pretty soon, I’m trying to have my own farm,” he said.
Brian Billington, another participant in the program, said the farm provides an opportunity to continue serving the community after military service.
“After serving in the military, a lot of folks are eager to find ways to continue to be useful,” Billington said. “And one of my favorite things about this place is getting to be a part of something bigger. Getting to help out the community and getting to do that alongside some awesome human beings.”
Grant Weber, the farm’s manager and a veteran himself, said the program focuses on providing veterans with purpose rather than just a safe space.
“Veterans don’t necessarily want a safe place. They want somewhere where they feel valued, a valued space,” Weber said. “So that’s what we’re trying to provide here. To give them a new mission.”
Participants in the program receive payment through a military program or the Spokane Conservation District.
The farm operates a weekly farm stand every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., where community members can purchase the veterans’ homegrown organic produce. You can find their fresh sheet on their Facebook page here.
The farm also sells its products at the Scale House Market in Spokane.
For more information on the program, visit www.spokanecd.org.
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