From Thurston Talk’s “Learning Freely: Farming for Community (and College Credit)

“Beau Gromley was in the 1st Special Forces Group stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord when he started building backyard gardens with Olympia’s Garden-Raised Bounty (GRuB). As an active-duty service member, volunteering helped him reconnect with the land and build community outside the military.”

From GRuB’s Website: “Victory Farm”

“Building Community Between Veterans and the Community at Large”

Community takes on various forms for Victory Farmers. It is built on the concept that our work is an invitation to participate, learn, teach, and help bridge the divide between veterans and the community at large.

Peer-to-Peer Support

Community integration begins with an introduction, a conversation and active listening. Healthy relationships and human connection are our number one priority. Each participant, from veteran to neighbor makes up one part of our community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we are offering bi-weekly “Vet-Talk” group as an avenue for veterans and veteran allies to connect during social isolation and share up-to-date community resources. For our upcoming schedule and to join in our “Vet-Talks” email beau@goodgrub.org.

Community Service

Victory Farmers are an integral part of the Victory Garden Project, building gardens with low-income people and families in Thurston County, Washington.  From 2014-2020 veterans helped build over 500 gardens in the community. These gardens are providing people with opportunities to increase their health and self-sufficiency by growing good food right in their own backyards.

Cultivating Community & Leaders

Victory Farmers have access to various training, ranging from peer-to-peer support, conflict mediation, facilitation, collaborative & multicultural communication, council practice, to Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST).”