Customers who subscribe to our seasonal produce boxes no doubt feel good about supporting a local producer and protecting the health of their families and the environment. They may not however, have considered the part they play in enabling the benefits of social therapy. Everyone who subscribes to receive our top quality certified organic and biodynamic produce is enabling the beautiful experiences we see on Warrah’s rural campus every day.

Warrah Farm has the dual purpose of feeding our broader community and maximising opportunities for social therapeutic horticulture for all Warrah’s participants. You might never have thought about all the steps involved in getting food to your table, but our participants get hands-on experience in most of the links in the organic fresh produce supply chain: from blending the seed mix in the nursery, making compost, adding biodynamic preparations to the soil, putting labels on boxes, bagging up salad leaves, harvesting citrus, loading up the van, right through to delivering the produce to customers.

Our packing room team includes participants from Warrah’s Micro Enterprise’s Program and Specialist School. It’s a joy to see the camaraderie and skills development that take place over the course of a season. Just this week we have overheard the following comments from our dedicated packing room team, all spoken with so much pride and confidence:

• ‘Will you take a photo for my mum, please? She’ll be so proud of me.’
• ‘This is so easy! I can show you how to do this job too.’
• ‘I’m doing a good job today!’
• ‘I’m gonna help you!’
• ‘Did you see that? I did it!’
• ‘There’s my other boss outside! Later, I’ll be going to my other job on the farm!’
• ‘That’s MY job! I’m doing the delivery today!’

Once the boxes have been packed, they are sorted by delivery route and loaded into vehicles for other members of Warrah’s community to deliver to collection points in Beaumont Hills, St Ives and Lane Cove, and at Glenaeon and Kamaroi Steiner Schools.

All profits from the Farm Shop directly support and enrich the lives of people with disability.