Hendersonville's Veterans Healing Farm seeks new home with lease expiring soon
HENDERSONVILLE - Veterans Healing Farm, which has been at its current 9-acre home off Yale Road since 2013, is looking for a new home, according to its executive director, Alan Yeck.
"The lease expires on Aug. 15, and we need to be completely moved off the land by then," he said.
Of the 9 acres, Yeck said he and his crew farm on 5 acres.
"Everything we grow, we give back to the veteran community. We give food to the Veterans Restoration Quarters in Asheville for them to use in their kitchen. We also give it to the Safelight women's shelter, the Interfaith Assistance Ministry's food pantry, the rescue mission, many area food pantries and also any churches needing food," Yeck said in a previous Times-News article.
Yeck, who has been the executive director of the farm since 2021, said the land is owned by Carolyn Mashie and was originally leased to her son, John, who founded the farm in 2013. He said he was informed in January by Mashie, who let him know that she was retiring and would not be renewing the lease that expires in August.
"As far as staying at our current location, that's not possible. While the short notice has its challenges, we view it as a great opportunity for growth," Yeck said. "Our current location doesn't facilitate winter programming, because there is no enclosed, heated space. We'll find or build a new main building with indoor classrooms, a full kitchen, a veterans recreation room and office space. We will also be building additional structures for our beekeeping team, medicinal herb team, as well as for visiting therapists."
He said there have been many potential places presented to him for a new home for the farm.
"We are very hopeful that our new place is waiting out there for us to discover, and we will. We've had great support from everyone in the community. Individuals, other nonprofits, businesses and the county government have all been very supportive," he said.
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Yeck said the goal is to raise enough money to secure a permanent home for the Veterans Healing Farm, and he is confident it will happen.
"With the help of lots of little angels, and a few larger angels, we will raise $5 million to establish our new home, including an endowment to ensure it continues to serve veterans for decades to follow. We are establishing a mental health model that can be followed throughout the country," he said.
Yeck said the farming is agricultural therapy for veterans, but added that the farm is not only about the produce. It offers workshops on art, canning, backyard chickens, medicinal plants and also suicide prevention. It also offers equine therapy, canine therapy and neurofeedback therapy, he said.
The fundraising efforts will continue until Yeck and his team can find a new home for the farm. Donations can be made online at veteranshealingfarm.org/donate or by mail by sending a check to Veterans Healing Farm, 38 Yale Road, Hendersonville, NC 28739.
"If anyone has any leads on 15 acres of land above the flood plain, please let us know by calling us at 828-595-6111," Yeck said.
Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Veterans Healing Farm seeks new home with current lease expiring soon
