Legacy Farmers Giving Back

Legacy Farms is a local nonprofit in Leesburg, Va. We provide agrarian based job training for adults with autism and other developmental challenges. Each year, we grow about a half acre of produce and donate it to the local food bank. Our participants have donated roughly 700 pounds in two years.

Every year, our Legacy Farmers Giving Back initiative works with a local organization to build and maintain a garden, as long as it serves one of the requirements below:

-To provide food for those in need
-To use as a teaching resource
-To use as a therapeutic resource

This year we are partnering with a local home for people with disabilities to get a garden program started at the home. The garden would allow them to grow healthier food options, save money on produce and learn more about growing their own food. This is a community-wide effort between Legacy Farms and the residents and families of the home.

There is a growing body of literature on the general benefits of community gardening. Many of them mention health and wellbeing benefits, while others focus on the therapeutic benefits of gardening itself. We feel this would be a great way to do both and provide

Funded by Northern Virginia (NOVA) (April 2017)