Page 18 - Flathead Beacon // 9.2.15

INFOCUS MULTIMEDIA SERIES
BY GREG LINDSTROM
Ryan Trout tosses branches onto a trailer before driving them to a slash pile at Centennial Farm west of Kalispell.
LEARNING ON THE LAND Flathead Care Farming
“It’s really just about looking at the abilities rather than the disabilities,” says Rachel Grant, program man- ager for Flathead Care Farming, as she looks around Cen- tennial Farm west of Kalispell, watching clients stack slash piles and pick vegetables from the garden.
The program works regularly with 60-70 clients, serv- ing seniors, veterans and those with developmental dis- abilities. Many of the clients are more familiar with a clin- ical setting, one where they are being treated or counseled for a disorder. But that’s not the case on the farm.
“We focus on their abilities,” says Les Keller, owner of Centennial Farm. “Disability isn’t an issue out here.”
Keller’s farm is one of about 10 in the valley that work regularly with Flathead Care Farming clients, taking the chores that need to get done and adapting them to the abilities of the workers.
“It’s hugely empowering for them,” says Grant. “It’s amazing to see what they can do once they are given a chance.”
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SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM