Vegetables Are Punny: A Farm Less Ordinary's 2017 T-Shirt Fundraiser / I Drop Mad Beets

A Farm Less Ordinary is a 501c3 non-profit whose mission is to provide employment and a welcoming community to adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, while sustainably growing organic vegetables for the Washington, DC area.

Recent Accomplishments during Our Short History
2016 moved at a breakneck pace. We fenced, tilled, amended, planted, and irrigated 1.25 of the 8 acres we’ve specifically set aside for farming (out of the total of 24). We launched a "Community Supported Agriculture" (CSA) program, selling all 25 shares. In that same year we also successfully fundraised to construct a post-harvest processing building with a large walk-in cooler and vegetable storage facility.

Most importantly however, we employed five “growers”, who worked an average of three days a week for four hours a day for a total of 385 hours in 2016. Volunteers donated another 75 hours of work. More than 4,000 pounds of food was harvested and distributed to the 23 member families of our CSA program, and to our growers and volunteers.

What We've Been Up to in 2017
We have hired a part-time Job Coach (a future Occupational Therapist student from Shenandoah University), who works with our employees to keep them focused and successful while they are working on the farm, and help manage tasks for each work day.

Also new this year, in addition to our existing CSA member families, AFLO is partnering with Loudoun Hunger Relief to provide CSA boxes with fresh, nutritious produce to 25 local low-income families who struggle with obesity and malnutrition. We are also participating in a few Wednesday farmers markets at the Village at Leesburg in 2017, in an effort to 1) practice the “art” of setting up and breaking down a table and keep our produce fresh and attractive at market, 2) publicize our mission, and the importance of disability employment, with the general public, and 3) give our Growers a chance to practice their social and change-making skills with strangers.