A new grant from Island Health has helped Glenora Farm in Duncan support a new program throughout the Cowichan Valley.
According to Glenora Farms, funding over the past two years has gone towards developing the program ‘Companions’ for people with diverse abilities, and they add that is just the beginning. Now, the program which connects ‘Companions’ with the farm, and with each other, is growing.
“This new program stream is available to residential care and day program clients, participating in Glenora Farm’s inclusive agriculture-based activities,” they say.
They add with the new initiative they can produce over 100 dozen eggs each month, and once they fill the internal orders, the remainder is shipped out to local stores and local organizations.
“Depending on demand, 50 to 80 per cent of these eggs are used by Glenora Farm’s licensed care homes for meals, snacks and baking activities,” they say. “Roughly 10 to 25 per cent are allocated for distribution to local organizations and the remainder are sold locally at Glenora store.”
Executive director Tara Batho says the Companions create a base of knowledge to serve everyone regardless of ability.
“Companions are the experts in many fields on Glenora Farm,” she says. “This initiative has encouraged a number of individuals to take on new roles as authorities and leaders.”
According to Island Health, the wellness grant program provides an opportunity for not-for-profit organizations, local government organizations and Indigenous Nations to apply for one-time funding for wellness projects.
They add funding allows organizations to remove restrictions and promote support for the entire community to benefit from living a healthy life.
