Elmwood Farm is a unique institution. Each year, acres of vegetables are planted and harvested, producing thousands of pounds of vegetables. Each year, the Farm donates its entire crop of produce to local hunger programs to feed the needy. If that was the sole function of Elmwood Farm, it would be an important and deserving institution - but it has a second, equally important role. You see, much of the labor at Elmwood Farm is supplied by school children, church groups, civic organizations, and even alternative sentencing programs of local courts.
Students learn about public service, and experience first-hand the joy of helping others.
Troubled individuals learn a sense of self-worth and, perhaps for the first time in their lives, find value in their own efforts. Volunteers of all ages learn about farming and the organic production of food, and achieve a greater connection to the land and to nature. All the participants develop a sense of community, among themselves and with their unseen beneficiaries. This educational, spiritual, and transformative mission is remarkable to behold. Busloads of children come from schools throughout the state to work at the farm, leaving, after a tiring day of public service, with a sense of having performed a great good.