help Arcadia train veterans for new careers

From: Arcadia Center For Sustainable Food & Agriculture <info@arcadiafood.org>
Date: December 16, 2016 at 10:04:20 AM EST
Subject: Help Arcadia Train Veterans for New Careers

"I used to tell people I was an IT guy with a farming habit. Now I just say I am a farmer." – Tom, a Navy veteran enrolled in Arcadia's Veteran Farmer Reserve Program. Arcadia started the Veteran Farmer Program last year for people exactly like Tom – military veterans who want the cultivation skills and business training, hands-on experience, and the opportunity to make their dream of becoming farmers a reality. Tom is now raising pigs and planting crops on leased land in West Virginia, and slowly – smartly – building toward a full-time life in agriculture. For Tom and the 12 others in our program, it's just another way to continue his service to the nation he loves. Feeding it. Your tax-deductible year-end donation will make the farming dreams of someone just like Tom come true. Arcadia has trained 13 military veterans this year for careers in agriculture through the Veteran Farmer Reserve and on-farm fellowships. Chuck, Tor, Kat, Laron, Zeek, Erica, Chris, Clifton, Bruce, Luke, Ally, Evans, and Tom have dedicated 2016 to learning what they need to know to feed the nation in the coming years. Want to join the program? Click HERE to learn more and apply.   Veteran Farmer Reserve Graduation Day December 11, 2016 Not all of of our vets will become farmers – in fact, that's part of the plan. We want our Reservists to discover whether farming is the right career choice while training with us, not after they buy a tractor and land. And we use our networks to help them find other careers that capitalize on their interest in sustainable agriculture.   Meet Luke. Newly married with a baby on the way, his plan for urban farming needed to take a back seat to his family life. Here's what Luke has to say about the Veteran Farmer Program:   I was an army engineer before I found the Veteran Farmer Program. When the program started I had just gotten home from deployment. I returned to a job managing enterprise software contracts for government customers. Sustainable agriculture had been a blooming interest for me overseas and it quickly gained traction once we started diving into many of the possible career paths. Pam knew I felt the need to make a career pivot, and she connected me with the owner of of Glen's Garden Market. They are an all-local grocery store in DC with a focus on environmental sustainability, where I am now the director of HR. The difference in my job satisfaction has really changed my entire life and I'm incredibly grateful to (Arcadia) for helping to point me in the right direction. The nation needs 700,000 new farmers over the next 20 years to replace the farmers now aging out of the profession. Help us fill the gap, and your plate! Veteran Farmer Program: Funding Goal $100,000   $100 buys lunch for 20 veterans working up an appetite on the farm $165 buys a complete set of text books for a veteran farmer on scholarship $250 buys a training hive of honeybees $1,000 buys trellising for 200 feet of hops plants for the new training hopyard $1,995 pays the tuition for one Veteran Reserve Member’s year-long training program $22,000 pays the salary of a Veteran Farm Fellow’s year-long apprenticeship on Arcadia Farm!   About Arcadia Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture was founded in 2010 with the mission to create a more equitable and sustainable local food system that will improve the health of our community, the viability of local farmers, and preserve our environment for future generations. Arcadia Farm is located on the historic grounds of Woodlawn Estate in Alexandria, Virginia, thanks to a landmark partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the support and vision of Arcadia’s Founder, Michael Babin. Arcadia is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, identified as Arcadia Food, Inc.  (Tax ID 27-3611614)  FORWARD TO A FRIEND Copyright © 2016 Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in through our website, Facebook page or in person at one of Arcadia's events. Our mailing address is: Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture 9000 Richmond Highway Alexandria, VA 22309 Add us to your address book