Foundation grant, volunteer labor help C. Falls academy

The Home Depot Foundation has donated $13,000 for materials and three days of labor from its volunteer Team Depot to assist Farming for the Future Academy Inc. in establishing its “Onions For Autism Veggies For Vets” garden at the Montana Veterans Home in Columbia Falls.

The garden will open for the season today.

The value of the materials along with the Home Depot’s volunteer force represents a $50,000 grant.

Farming for the Future Academy Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization implementing its second set of summer programs.

Summer camps are open to all students. Part of the program will have a focus placed on those with autism and retired veterans living at the veterans home.

The Home Depot Foundation will make modifications for handicap accessible ramps, raised gardens, wheelchair and walker pathways and many other upgrades to the greenhouse and garden.

Tuff Shed will construct a shelter for camp animals and also extend the irrigation to water the old apple orchard where dead trees are gradually being replaced by donated new ones. 

Through the grant, the Home Depot Foundation also will make kits for campers, milking stand kits for the goats, bunny wagon hutch kits and birdhouse kits. The focus of the camps is to teach life skills, safe tool use, environment awareness, animal husbandry, empathy for those with needs and the opportunity to connect socially. 

Helping the Home Depot Foundation for this project will be certified master gardeners with the Montana State University extension office in Kalispell, the Center for Restorative Justice Youth Program, area VFW members, community members and the following volunteer employees from the Kalispell Home Depot: Katelyn Worth, Amanda Stamm, Keely Cunningham, Cory Hoover, Jon Monroe, Alex Acevedo, Jim Steven, Dani Sarrazin, Ted Caudill, Oscar Coronado, Chandra Dugan, Christian Widera, Jim Friedrich, Monica Kitzmiller, Tony Reyna, Beth Sheldon. The team is represented by store manager Tom Stafford.