Positivity is flowing at Harvest Farm as we continue to see success with many of the men in our New Life Program despite these challenging times. As we navigate COVID-19, our staff has adapted and made adjustments to our intake protocols and we began accepting new participants into the program again in June. We have been working with community partners like Mountain Crest Behavioral Health, Poudre Valley Hospital and North Range Behavioral Health to ensure a smooth transition for all new participants. Even throughout this global pandemic we have continued to support the men in our program.
A total of 15 men have graduated the program since March!
Douglas Is Our Most Recent New Life Program Graduate From Harvest Farm
Douglas’ story is slightly different from other participants in our program. One of the goals of our New Life Program is for men to overcome destructive habits in their lives– this can be alcohol or drug abuse, poor financial habits, or in Douglas’ case, anger management. Throughout his program, Douglas was assigned to agricultural work readiness. He was tasked to look after and care for Harvest Farm’s livestock, mostly the dairy and beef cows. And, he sure had his hands full with the number of calves born this year.
Since March, we’ve also welcomed:
- 10 baby goats
- 11 new calves
- Three miniatures and eight beef calves.
- One new breeding Billy goat, named Kermit.
Despite the general peacefulness of the Farm, Douglas says, “[I have] had to deal with many struggles and frustrations. There are challenges daily with taking care of cattle.” Work on the farm can make for long grueling days, whether it’s the sheer physical labor or losing one of the calves you’ve so diligently tended to for months. It was difficult at times, but it provided the necessary lessons to work through with his chaplain and counselors.
Even with his many successes and bounds of improvement, Doug has made the wise decision to continue his journey at the Lighthouse, a faith based sober living program. He will continue to have accountability and work through his struggles in order for him to get back home to his wife and kids sooner.
