Community thanks Veterans with locally grown produce 

What started as a way to help with her own mental health, Lyndsay Robins, found a way to help veterans and thank them for their service. 

Through gardening, she created Produce for Veterans (changing the name to Produce for Heroes) to provide veterans and active members with fresh produce.

“I found it really helped and then I just put two and two together, and it was just my way of saying thank you so much for everything you do, a way for me to honour them and to let them know they’ll never be forgotten,” said Robins.

Harvesting begins in July, and this will be their third year in operation. This year, Robins said they will be teaming up with local farmers to help provide a wider variety of items to be donated. 

Robins hopes that with the help of the local farmers, they will be able to provide their service all year long.

“With a lot of our farmers, their harvest season is in November, so we’re going to get a lot of donations in November,” she said. “We’re trying to have it where we can support them all year long, but for the last couple of years, we’ve had to shut down during the winter and springtime.”

Produce for Veterans started with helping 30 veterans, now they service 10 different Legions in the Peterborough Kawarthas and Trenton area. Veterans are welcome to pick their items if they wish, but Robins said they deliver to the Legions. 

“If they can’t meet us somewhere or can’t make it to a Legion, we’ll drop it off right to their homes,” she added.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money to keep things running smoothly. This year, they are selling raffle tickets for a guitar autographed by Tim Hicks. The money helps pay for delivery transportation and seeds to grow. 

“We usually get it donated, but it just depends on year to year, or if we have to, we buy food and everything else,” she said. “We always need help, and if there’s anyone that wants to start one in their community, then we’ll help them get one going.”

If anyone is in need of their service, Produce for Veterans can be found on their Facebook page, found here.