Twelve Growers have worked at Red Wiggler for more than 8 years and teach new volunteers how to farm, what the growing season looks like, how to use a rake, and what a kohlrabi is.ĭo all Care Farms focus on the I/DD community?

Red Wiggler provides a setting for individuals with special needs to be teachers and leaders. In addition to the inherent therapeutic benefit of working with soil and experiencing plants growing from seeds and hard work, Growers find meaning in their ability to give back to the community through the growing and distribution of healthy food. We believe in the dignity of earning a paycheck by doing meaningful work, and Growers gain a professional identity as farmers. Growers are paid minimum wage ($12.50/hour) or higher, and most work part time Monday through Friday. We employ 15 Growers with I/DD throughout the year. Since 1996, Red Wiggler has provided meaningful employment to adults with I/DD. 81% of adults with developmental differences do not have a paid job in the community, and only 36% of the public believes that people with intellectual differences are capable of being leaders. In the United States, individuals with I/DD have been historically underserved.

Why focus on Care Farming for Individuals with Intellectual and/or Developmental Differences (I/DD)? For a more detailed definition of Social Care Farming, check out this blog from our friends at the Southeastern Social Care Farming Collective. This model is common in the UK and Europe and goes by varying names, including Care Farming, Social Farming, and Social Care Farming. With 25 years' experience of providing meaningful employment to adults with intellectual and/or developmental differences (I/DD), Red Wiggler is a leader in Care Farming in the United States.Ĭare Farming is the therapeutic use of farming practices for marginalized or vulnerable groups of people.

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