Veterans can work on an urban farm, learn how to grow produce

“We try to donate to veterans organizations such as Welcome Home, which is the veterans homeless shelter,” Litchard said.

By Amanda Pavic
Missourian
May 28, 2021

Excerpt:

Since November 2019, the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture has provided a space for veterans to grow produce and find a community.

The Veterans Urban Farm at 1207 Smith St. is just outside the Columbia downtown sector. Yet it has all the room it needs to plant lettuce, radishes, strawberries and more. It is even home to a few chickens and beehives.

But the farm’s outreach is much bigger than its acre of land. The Veterans Urban Farm teaches horticulture and maintenance practices to boost veterans’ skill sets. It aims to fill the gap between military service and the next job.

It is also a space where patients at the Truman Veterans’ Hospital can volunteer and get physical exercise, mindfulness practice and emotional support.

Dustin Cook, manager of the Veterans Urban Farm and a veteran himself, said the pandemic has disrupted the continuity of the program.

“Once the COVID restrictions get lifted, we’ll have some more groups out here, and they’ll do things like yoga and tai chi, group therapy and mindfulness meditation,” Cook said.

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