HERSHEY, Pa. — Hope Springs Farm hosts a day program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, also called Growers. The program was forced to shut down mid-March due to COVID-19 regulations.
In July, the program was given the green light to re-open, but in a limited capacity.
This week, Hope Springs Farm was able to expand its program, bringing back 4 more Growers to the farm. The addition of one Grower per group each day on the Farm may seem like a small change, but it is a sign of hope for the future.
Jim Gainer, the Program Director at Hope Springs Farm, says, “For the Growers, it was just one more of their friends had come back. Some of the Growers, they hadn’t seen them since the end of February -- almost.”
Thanks to technology, even the Growers who have yet to return to the farm, have a way to stay connected to their friends.
Gainer explains, “In fact, we’re still doing our Zoom Farm Parties every day. That program has actually continued.”
In June, the farm started hosting daily Zoom Farm Parties. Each day, Growers got a chance to take part in a different activity from crafts to cooking to yoga and even story reading – all virtually of course.
“When we looked at the Farm Parties overall, we kept looking for okay well when are the Farm Parties going to slow down, but the attendance has not slowed down," Gainer says.
These zoom sessions have become routine for some of the Growers, and they’re hoping that the Farm Parties are here to stay.
Gainer recalls, “I noticed on the zoom party – we had about 4 or 5 Growers that come to the farm, and they’re also on the Zoom Farm Party every day when they’re not at the farm.”
In about a month, the Farm will be hosting a Drive-Thru Chicken Bar-B-Que fundraiser. The goal is to sell 400 dinners in order to help up with the costs of the program.
Gainer says, “And come early because we’re also going to sell some homemade chicken corn soup while it lasts, and it never does.”
For more information regarding the Drive-Thru Chicken Bar-B-Que fundraiser, check out Hope Springs Farm's website.
