Much like some of the food harvested, some of the most essential things grown by Door County Farm for Vets are what you cannot see. According to Mission Roll Call, 40 to 44 veterans take their lives every day, more than double what is reported by the Department of Veterans Affairs. It is also estimated seven percent of all veterans will develop post-traumatic stress disorder. It is a reality Door County Farm for Vets founder Jacob Vandenplas knows all too well as someone who has lost close brothers and sisters in arms to suicide in recent years. It is part of why he started the organization that teaches veterans the skills to grow their produce and animals, not just for them and their families but for the entire community. In the coming weeks, Vandenplas is taking other veterans to learn how to butcher cows and poultry, providing the path for a possible career.

He says starting the organization has been one of the great honors of his life not just because of the food produced, but also by the connections created.

Door County Farm for Vets is in the process of creating a Victory Farm project that will assist area veterans grow their own produce. You can support the organization by joining its Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program or attending their holiday meal at Schmitz Insurance in Sturgeon Bay on December 7th at 1 p.m.