Farmers Rising’s mission is to support local, sustainable farmers and food systems. They also host day and overnight summer camps, geared for kids ages seven to 15. Campers help with farm chores, cook food they harvest, explore the outdoors, and take classes like fire starting and herbalism. Trisha Wilks, the community programs director for the organization, said campers come from very different backgrounds.
"We have kids every week that have grown up on a farm, or their grandparents had a farm," she said. "Then we have other kids that come that had no idea that a carrot came out of the ground."
She said the main goal of farm camp is to help kids connect to the food they eat, and they’ve seen picky eaters start to love vegetables and gardening. Camp is also technology free.
"It gives them a chance to really truly be kids, and permission to get muddy and climb over logs and splash in creeks and ask questions and take risks," she said, "and that builds their confidence. It really helps them discover what they're capable of."
Wilks said many kids have come to camp hating vegetables, but once they experienced farming for themselves, they became more excited about growing and eating new foods.
Camps run through early August, and Wilks said there’s still space in every session. There are also scholarships available for campers who might not be able to access these programs.
