View as Webpage

THE HEALING WALL. The Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall will be at the Veterans Healing Farm, November 9 - 12. During this time BULLETS & BANDAIDS will also have an art exhibition of Vietnam Veteran stories at the Farm, as well as Vietnam Veteran readings from Brothers and Sisters Like These, and a presentation from Quilts of Valor.

We are looking for community volunteers to help set-up, staff, and take down the Traveling Memorial Wall. The Wall will be open 24 hours a day while at the Farm for visitors. If you would to help out, please click below and we will provide you with more details. Thank you!

Downtown Hendersonville, NC · 

Meet Homecoming ?

Sponsor-Hendersonville Elks Lodge #1616  

Artist Name- Effie Grigoropoulou 

Non-Profit Beneficiary- Veterans Healing Farm  

"Homecoming" was painted by Asheville artist Effie Grigoropoulou, and is about a U.S. Army Mama bear returning home from deployment to her family. Her Airborne Ranger insignia, as well as her prosthetic limb is in recognition of both their accomplishments and sacrifices our female warriors have made and continue to make to keep their cubs safe, and their country free. “Only two things protect America. The Grace of God Almighty and the U.S. military." Charlie Daniels. The mission of the Veterans Healing Farm is to enhance the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of our nation’s Veterans and their families.

For the 2023 Auction, the Friends of Downtown Hendersonville are continuing with a virtual bidding format. Bidding will begin as early as September 21, 2023 and will come to a close with an exciting in-person event on October 21 at the Historic Court House on Main Street. Stay tuned for auction information this summer!

Foto Flora: An Eclectic Flower Crown Workshop + Empowering Floral Photo Shoot

Learn how to design a unique and eclectic flower crown, and then you'll walk through how to design + set up a styled photo shoot using a variety of flowers/natural elements from the Farm. Each participant has the option to model their creation however they see fit in an empowering, editorial photo shoot with Sam as the photographer.

Each participant will be contacted prior to class to discuss what they’d like their photos to look like/represent. Each participant will take home their own crown, and be emailed a link to access + download their gallery of photos. 

NOTE: Participants should bring any extra clothes, props, or accessories they’d like to change into for the photos.

When: Tuesday, September 5

Where: Veterans Healing Farm

Time: 10am - 12pm

Mental Health First Aid

Identify. Understand. Respond. — Let’s make Mental Health First Aid as common as CPR.

Mental Health First Aid is a course that teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. The training gives you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial help and support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem or experiencing a crisis.

This class is provided free of charge. Books and lunch will also be provided.

Participants will receive a certificate of completion at the end of this course.

*All class participants will be sent a brief pre-class survey to the email that they register with. Pre and post test surveys are required for certification.

When: Friday, September 8

Where: Veterans Healing Farm

Time: 830am - 430pm

Organic Pest Control for Farms and Yards with Rachel Merriweather

In this class we will be learning about not only the forms of organic chemical control but also how to utilize the pest controls nature has already provided! We will be identifying beneficial insects and how to encourage them to inhabit your garden areas so that they can take care of those insects that can be pests for you. We will also cover resistant varieties and why those are important for disease control in our area, both for food crops as well as ornamentals. This class will be helpful for farmers and gardeners with any size yard or field!

When: Saturday, September 9

Where: Veterans Healing Farm

Time: 930am - 12pm

Herbs for Stress + Balance

This class is designed to support and empower you in your ability to manage stress with herbs and self-care. We will cover 10+ herbs to alleviate anxiety, improve mood, and manage stress. We will discuss lifestyle choices that steer your ship towards more balance and the best alternative remedies for dealing with life’s stressors. We have many of these plant allies in our medicinal herb gardens are participants will get to know these plants and take home herbal preparations to add to your home apothecary.



When: Saturday, September 9

Where: Veterans Healing Farm

Time: 1pm - 4pm

Creative Canvas 2

The 2nd workshops in our Creative Canvas Series. Experience the vibrant world of acrylic painting through our monthly Creative Canvas Series. Each session our instructor will guide you step-by-step through a completed painting and help boost your artistic confidence. Students will learn basic brush techniques, color mixing, and general essential painting skills.

When: Friday, September 15

Where: Veterans Healing Farm

Time: 10am - noon

QPR Suicide Prevention Training (Question. Persuade. Refer.) Three steps anyone can learn to help prevent suicide.

Just like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis

TRAINING WILL COVER

•  How to Question, Persuade, and Refer someone who may be suicidal

•  How to get help for yourself or learn more about preventing suicide

•  The common causes of suicidal behavior

•  The warning signs of suicide

•  How to get help for someone in crisisd can save lives. QPR is the most widely taught Gatekeeper training in the world.

When: Saturday, September 20

Where: Veterans Healing Farm

Time: 11am - 1pm

Free Veterinarian Care for Veterans with Service Animals (limited to 15 animals)

The vet and their supply representatives will conduct an annual physical and heart worm testing, all annual vaccinations, rabies (1 yr/ 3 yr) depending on Veterans records for the dog. Each veteran will receive a years supply of flea/tick medicine, and a year supply of heart worm medicine. 

When: Saturday, September 23

Where: Veterans Healing Farm

Time: 9am - noon

Canine Therapy with Warrior Canine Connection

Warrior Canine Connection utilizes a Mission Based Trauma Recovery model to help Warriors recovering from the stress of combat reconnect with their families, communities, and life. By interacting with the dogs as they move from puppyhood to training to adult service dogs, Warrior Trainers benefit from a physiological and psychological animal-human connection. As a result of their efforts, Veterans with disabilities receive the finest in trained service dogs

Warriors participating in the program have reported that using these positive emotions to praise their dogs has significantly improved their family dynamics. NOTE: The dogs that you will be working with are brought to the Farm by Warrior Canine Connection and return with them after each session. No outside dogs are allowed.

When: Thursday, September 28

Where: Veterans Healing Farm

Time: 1pm - 3pm

Botanical Sketchbook 2



This is the second in our series. Working from our local garden, students will learn to study the plants, flowers, and foliage around them to create realistic or stylized sketches and paintings. Bring your favorite sketchbook and we’ll supply the rest (various drawing and painting materials). If you don’t have a sketchbook, we have sheets of paper available.

When: Friday, September 29

Where: Veterans Healing Farm

Time: 10am - noon

Equine Therapy with Heart of Horse Sense

This is our last equine session of the season at the Farm. First Responders are welcome.

Equine Therapy / Animal-assisted Therapy is effective in treating people, including combat veterans and first responders, with PTSD, depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and other issues.

Horses are highly reactive and respond to human emotions - inviting calm and non-reactive communications which promotes emotional awareness, emotion regulation, self-control, and impulse modulation. Working with horses in a therapeutic setting offers instant and constant feedback to participants and is highly motivational – combining to make an exceptionally effective rehabilitation environment.

The Veterans Healing Farm will be closed to all other activities during these sessions.

When: Saturday, September 30

Where: Veterans Healing Farm

Time: 10am – 4pm

Canine Therapy with Warrior Canine Connection

Training a service dog for a fellow Veteran provides a valuable opportunity for a Warrior. NOTE: The dogs that you will be working with are brought to the Farm by Warrior Canine Connection and return with them after each session. No outside dogs are allowed.

Additionally, dogs offer opportunities for Warrior trainers to experience positive interactions with members of the community.

When: Thursdays, October 5, October 12, October 19, and October 26

Where: Veterans Healing Farm

Time: 1pm – 4pm

Mushroom Cultivation 102 (Log Inoculation) – Students go home with a log which should fruit for years to come

In this workshop, you will learn the process used to inoculate logs with mycelium plug spawn. We will cover wood selection, log preparations, spawn handling, inoculation, sealing, log storage and care. Join us and learn about the many mushrooms that can become part of your system through this method.

This will be a hands-on workshop and you will get to participate in the different steps involved in inoculating the logs. At the end, everybody takes an inoculated log home. Participants should be prepared to operate a drill, mallet, and carry their 2 foot long log to each table during class.

WHAT TO BRING:

• Closed toe shoes
• A cordless drill with charged battery and a 5/16” drill bit (either a spade bit or twist drill bit will be fine)
• A mallet or hammer (a rubber or wooden mallet may be better) 
• We will have tools you can borrow so don’t buy anything.

When: Saturday, October 7

Where: Veterans Healing Farm

Time: 9:30am - 12:30pm

Herbs for Brain Health 

Uncover the ancient wisdom of herbal remedies and modern scientific understanding to optimize your cognitive well-being. Participants will learn various methods of preparing and consuming brain-enhancing herbs, such as teas, tinctures, and supplements. Gain hands-on experience in creating your own herbal blends and take a proactive step toward nurturing your mind for a vibrant and fulfilling life.

When: Saturday, October 14

Where: Veterans Healing Farm

Time: 1pm - 4pm

Knife Forging Class 

In this class, you learn how to forge a basic EDC (every day carry) knife from start to finish. We start from a piece of coil spring from a car and forge it to shape, learning the unique art of forging reclaimed steels and giving the knife a story.

The class is designed to have you participating in almost every step of the process and we will make sure you end up with a high-quality product. LIMITED TO 6 PARTICIPANTS

When: Saturday and Sunday, October 20 & 21

Where: Veterans Healing Farm

Time: 9:30am - 4:30pm

Herbs for Pain and Inflammation

In this class, we will deep dive into understanding pain and how to get to the root cause vs just treating symptoms. You will learn about 15+ herbs for pain and their specific uses in addressing inflammation, injury, muscle pain, joint pain, nerve pain, and dental pain, and why they are so effective. We’ll cover diet and lifestyle considerations for those living with chronic pain and discuss which herbs work best in which forms and when to use them. You’ll meet some of these plants in our medicinal herb gardens and take home useful remedies for your home medicine chest.

When: Saturday October 27

Where: Veterans Healing Farm

Time: 1pm - 4pm

VETERAN "X"

Veteran “X” is a Peer-Led Recovery Program in which Veterans desiring to achieve recovery, within a group format, serve as the recovery team for a fictional Veteran “X” who has problems and issues similar to the group participants. By serving as Veteran “X”’s recovery team, the Veteran participants work to resolve Veteran “X”’s social barriers, and thereby develop solutions to their own problems.

Veteran “X” focuses on social barriers and issues that modulate risk for suicide such as:

• Social support
• Housing
• Substance Use
• Family/significant other relationships
• Problem-solving skills
• Future planning
• Psychosocial stressors such as legal and financial issues

When: Every Wednesday at 4pm

Where: Veterans Healing Farm, 38 Yale Road, Hendersonville NC

No preregistration required! Just come!

Charles George VA Medical Center. Over 1500 lbs. of produce (sweet corn, zucchini, squash, okra, swiss chard, bell peppers, cucumbers, green beans, lunchbox peppers, and cantaloupes) were distributed to 170 Veterans and caregivers.

BUY SHIRTS, HATS, HOODIES, MUGS...@

Veterans Healing Farm Cool Stuff Shop