The Cultivating Connections (CCMT) Farm-Classroom is located at Homestead Organics Farm, which was started in 1999 by Laura Garber. It began as an experiment in Organic food growing, and over time the farm has developed a strong educational focus and began hosting workshops, classes, and youth at the farm. CCMT was born to house these programs, as we have shifted away from a transactional model into a relational one: one that prioritizes creating a space for everyone to learn, grow, and share.
Some of our most impactful programs include:
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Employing 8 Youth Farm Interns every year who learn how to grow produce, interact with and serve the community, explore sustainability, prepare and share Montana grown food, and deepen their connection with themselves and each other
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Mayday! Gardens which gives away over 30,000 seedlings to members of the community for free or by donation every year
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Soups & Salads for Seniors which allows us to cook and deliver thousands of servings of soups and salads prepared using local ingredients to Meals on Wheels throughout the year
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Our Teenage Veggie Brigade, which allow our Youth Farm Interns to plant and tend to gardens in local seniors' yards, helping to foster inter-generational relationships in our community and strengthen food accessibility
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Hosting Family-Friendly Farm Fun Days, Feast in the Field Fun-Raisers, and many more events aimed at allowing community members time and space to explore the farm, engage with employees, and eat local food!
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Engaging hundreds of school kids in School Field Trip farm visits, which allow them to learn and explore while being thoughtfully guided by our Youth Farm Interns and staff
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Offering multiple days of Special Abilities Camp, in collaboration with HEARTism, where Youth Farm Interns are buddies to children on the Autism spectrum while they explore and learn on the farm
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Consistently offering free and by donation food at Hamilton and Darby Farmer's Markets
With your help, we can continue to share knowledge, empower youth, support and feed our community, and be a replicable model. Watching our Youth Farm Interns open up to their possibilities, boating on the farm pond with Special Abilities campers, hearing the joyful shouts of ‘Kinder-Gardener’ children as they unearth potatoes or pet the piglets, and sharing the “ah-ha" moments with community workshop participants have been some of the most impactful parts of our work. These are the personal interactions that make what we do important and push to deepen our commitment to our mission year after year!
