Barn raised at unique midstate farm
The new barn at Hope Springs Farm in Hershey. (Photo: Rachel McDevitt/WITF)
(Hershey) — A unique farm in Dauphin County is celebrating a new barn raising.
Hope Springs Farm outside Hershey provides services for adults with developmental disabilities and autism.
It’s barn was destroyed by an electrical fire in April, which also claimed the lives of two miniature horses and a number of newly-hatched chicks.
It was a huge loss to the people who come to work on the Dauphin County farm, known as growers.
“This barn was really important to their routine and to their structure,” said executive director Jim Gainer. “And it was really, the centerpiece of their day.”
The growers would use the barn every day to care for the farm’s pigs, sheep, goats, alpacas, and other animals.
After months of fundraising, the walls are up on a gleaming tan and green metal barn.
Gainer said now the growers can return to their usual routine.
“It really is amazing what animal therapy and horticulture therapy and just being outdoors can do for some of these growers. We’ve seen huge changes in our growers over the years, and even in the short term,” he said.
Gainer said they will need to continue fundraising to be able to outfit the new barn with animal stalls, a tack room and a rabbit habitat.
Gainer added Hope Springs is believed to be the only farm-based program in the state to rely on Medicaid funding, which heightens their need for donations and volunteers.
Hope Springs Farm in Hershey. (Photo: Rachel McDevitt/WITF)
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