Farming with Friends

03/13/2026

📚🌱 What’s your favorite children’s book about farming? 🌱📚

We’ve been invited to read a few farm-themed books to Old Trail School kindergarteners this spring as part of their in-depth unit on farming and agriculture… how cool is that?! We are SO excited!

Ginnette’s pick is the classic The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss — a sweet story about patience, perseverance, and believing in what you plant. 🥕

You can even read it here:
https://dn721302.ca.archive.org/0/items/TheCarrotSeed-English/carrotseed_text.pdf

Now we want to hear from you!
What are your favorite children’s books about farming, gardening, or growing food? 🌻🌽🥬

We’d love to share a few of your favorites with the kindergarteners!

03/10/2026

🌱 Big News from Farming with Friends! 🌱

We’re excited to share that Farming with Friends has officially applied to become a certified Provider Agency with the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities.

What does that mean?

It means we are taking an important step toward long-term sustainability and stability for our programs. Once approved, Farming with Friends will be able to provide formal vocational and habilitation services on the farm, allowing participants with disabilities to access services through established support systems while learning meaningful agricultural and life skills.

For our community, this means:

🌿 More consistent opportunities for individuals with disabilities to participate in hands-on farm work and skill development
🌿 Financial stability that helps ensure our programs can grow and continue for years to come
🌿 Expanded access so more families can benefit from inclusive, health-centered work on the farm
🌿 Stronger workforce pathways connecting participants to real agricultural training and community engagement

This process can take a long time, but it’s a major milestone in building a sustainable care-farm model right here in our community.

💚 How you can help:
As we move through the certification process, community support is more important than ever. Donations help us build the foundation we need to expand services, train staff, improve accessibility, and prepare the farm for more participants.

If you believe in creating meaningful opportunities for people of all abilities, please consider making a gift to support this next chapter. Every contribution helps us grow. You can donate at https://farmingwithfriends.org/🌿

Farming has always been about more than growing food. It’s about purpose, health, teamwork, and belonging. Becoming a provider agency helps ensure those opportunities remain available for many more people in the years ahead.

Thank you for believing in this work and helping us grow. 💚

03/06/2026

🌱 Attention growers! 🌱

Mark your calendars — Friday, May 9 — because we’re hosting a Plant Sale at K’s Statuary in Peninsula, and it’s going to be epic! 🌼🌿🌱

Will you have extra plant starts (veggies, flowers, herbs)? Let’s be honest… you probably will! 😄 If so, please consider donating a few to our sale.

Every plant sold helps support Farming with Friends programming, creating inclusive opportunities for people of all abilities to learn, grow, and work together on the farm.

💚 All proceeds go directly back into our programs.

Thank you for helping our community grow, in every sense of the word! 🌻

03/03/2026

🌻 Happy National Inclusion Day 🌻
At Farming with Friends, inclusion isn’t just something we talk about, it’s something we live every single day.

Our farm is a place where individuals of all abilities work side by side. Where differences are celebrated. Where strengths are discovered. Where everyone has a role, a purpose, and a place to belong. 🌱

In the greenhouse, in the raised beds, behind the scenes, and out in the fields, we grow more than food here. We grow confidence. We grow friendships. We grow community.

Creating truly inclusive, accessible opportunities takes intention, resources, and ongoing support. If you believe in building spaces where everyone can thrive, we invite you to consider making a donation today to help us continue this important work.

Every contribution, big or small, helps us keep planting seeds of inclusion. 💚

You can donate and learn more at www.farmingwithfriends.org
https://secure.myvanco.com/L-ZHX7/campaign/C-149V5?access=tile_direct

Thank you for growing with us.

— The Farming with Friends Team

About The Farm Our StoryMake A Donation Today Inclusive farming not only fosters a sense of purpose and independence but also showcases the remarkable resilience and determination of those who overcome intellectual and physical challenges to contribute to the agricultural community. Please consider....

03/02/2026

Did you know that March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and TODAY is Inclusion Day?

Check out all of the amazing stuff our friends at Summit County Developmental Disabilities Board have going on! 🤟

DD Awareness Month This March, help us make our community more inclusive for people of every ability by joining our month-long celebration. Need ideas? Check out the ideas below. Join us for Inclusion Day 2026! March 2, 2026 was Inclusion… […]

02/28/2026

We are so blessed to have our good friends and this amazing space right up the road. Crown Point Ecology Center also co-hosts our All Abilities Harvest Fest each fall! 🤟

Did you know our trails and outdoor spaces are open to the public? There is no cost, year-round! Crown Point is your peaceful escape any time of year.

Come walk the trails and explore:
🌀 Meadow Labyrinth — a meditative path for reflection
🌸 Meditation Garden — a quiet space to slow down and breathe
📞 Wind Phone — a place to feel connected, even to those no longer with us

🕐 Trail hours: Dawn to dusk, daily.
View the Trail Map: https://www.crownpointecology.org/trail-map

Note: Public restrooms are unavailable during winter months. Please do not enter any of the animal enclosures.

📸 Tag us in your photos! We love seeing Crown Point through your eyes.

02/25/2026

Spring is calling… and it’s almost time to get back to work! 😁🌱

Our 2026 farm season officially begins March 16, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome some familiar faces back into the fields.

💚 Mr. Dennis is returning as our Farm Assistant after a fantastic first season supporting crop production and daily farm operations.

💚 Alex and Sam are stepping into our Year Two Leadership Training Pilot Program! This season, they’ll serve as Team Leads for group farm projects — guiding volunteers, supporting their peers, and representing Farming with Friends out in the community.

🌿 We will also be hiring two NEW Farm Hands to participate in our Crop Production Skills Training Program! We’ve had so many wonderful applicants — stay tuned to meet our new hires in April!

Opportunities like this are about so much more than growing food. They’re about building confidence, teamwork, leadership, and meaningful pathways to community life for young adults navigating that tough transition from school into the workforce.

We can’t wait to grow together this season. 🌼
Empowering All Abilities to Grow Together.

02/20/2026

We couldn’t wait to share a sneak peek of our 2025 Impact Report with you, friends! 🌱

Last year was about getting the farm and our inclusive programming up and running to support young adults with disabilities through the health, structure, and sense of purpose that meaningful farm work can provide.

In 2026, we’re turning our attention to building the capacity we need to keep this work growing so more individuals with disabilities can experience the dignity of work, the joy of teamwork, and the deep sense of belonging that comes from being part of something real.

Thank you for walking alongside us as this community grows! 💚🤟

02/19/2026

**Application deadline Sunday!**

🌱 We’re Hiring a Farm Hand! 🌱

At Farming with Friends, we believe meaningful work builds confidence, connection, and purpose. This season, we’re welcoming a new Farm Hand to join our inclusive farm community and grow alongside us.

This hands-on role offers supported training in planting, harvesting, and caring for crops—while building workplace skills, routines, and friendships in a welcoming environment.

✨ No experience needed
✨ Training and support provided
✨ Designed for individuals building vocational skills
✨ People with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply
📍 Farming with Friends Farm Site (2317 Ira Road)
⏰ Part-time | Seasonal (April–November)
💵 $11/hour
🌻 Growing food. Growing confidence. Growing together.

📧 Apply by Feb 22, 2026

🔗 To learn more, visit our website: farmingwithfriends.org/jobs/

02/19/2026

Hello again friends! 💚❄️🌱

While we’re looking ahead to spring, we also want to take a moment to celebrate the amazing work that’s already happening here at Farming with Friends!

Even in these cold winter days, our volunteers have been hard at work:
🌿 Prepping materials and building raised beds
🌿 Organizing and clearing greenhouse spaces
🌿 Supporting administrative projects behind the scenes
🌿 Helping us plan for an inclusive and impactful 2026 growing season

This momentum doesn’t just happen, it’s powered by people who believe in creating community-centered opportunities where all abilities can grow together. 🌻

If you’ve been thinking about joining us, now is the perfect time. Whether you prefer hands-on farm work or helping from your laptop, there’s a place for you here.

Visit www.farmingwithfriends.org to learn more, or comment/message us to get involved. We can’t wait to grow with you! 💚

— The Farming with Friends Team

02/17/2026

🌿☀️ What a beautiful day to grow together! ☀️🌿

We were so excited to welcome some new friends from Teammates Center L.L.C to the farm! With sunshine overhead and teamwork in full swing, we laid the final giant tarp in the garden and started mulching the pathways between our raised beds in the hoop house. Huge thanks to this amazing crew, and to several wonderful Old Trail School parent volunteers, for jumping right in!

Days like this are about so much more than farm tasks. 💚

Working side-by-side, people with disabilities and typically-abled volunteers build strength, stamina, coordination, and confidence through meaningful, hands-on work. Farming supports physical health through movement and fresh air, boosts mental wellness by reducing stress and increasing focus, and creates powerful opportunities for teamwork and belonging.

On our farm, everyone contributes. Everyone learns. Everyone grows.

This is what inclusion looks like: community-centered, purpose-driven, and rooted in dignity. 🌱

02/11/2026

Hi friends! ❄️🌱

We hope you’re staying cozy and finding small joys in these winter days. Even though it’s cold outside, spring is closer than we think, and here at Farming with Friends, we’re already gearing up for an incredible 2026 growing season!

If you’d like to be part of the momentum, here are a few ways to jump in:

🌿 Farm Workday – Tuesday 2/17 | 11am–2pm
We’ll be assembling raised beds and clearing out the hoop house and greenhouses to get everything ready for spring planting. With a solid crew, we can knock this out quickly (and have some fun while we’re at it). Fresh air, meaningful work, and great company included!
👉 Comment below or message us if you’d like to join.

💻 Administrative Volunteers Needed
As we grow, so does the behind-the-scenes work. A few hours a week helping with research, data entry, file organization, or basic correspondence would make a huge difference. If you enjoy organizing, writing, or supporting mission-driven work from your laptop, we would love your help.

Every hour you give helps create inclusive, community-centered opportunities on the farm - empowering all abilities to grow together. 🌻

Let us know how you’d like to get involved. We can’t wait to see you soon! 💚
— Ginnette