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Fiddlehead Care Farm receives $107,500 provincial grant

May 4, 2023   ·   0 Comments

Dufferin–Caledon MPP Sylvia Jones met with the team at Fiddlehead Care Farm in Mono to celebrate Earth Day and learn about the $107,500 Resilient Communities Fund from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) that was used at the farm to rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19.

A project was completed in April 2023 that will give children and families improved access to mental health supports and programs at the farm.

“Since 2014, Fiddlehead Care Farm (FCF) has enriched the lives of children and families through animal-assisted care farming, and I am pleased that they have received an Ontario Trillium Grant,” said Jones. “This funding will support FCF as they continue to grow by adding additional clinicians for programs that will help families in Dufferin County.”   

Over the past 12 months, FCF was able to improve program delivery by hiring new clinicians to reduce wait times for service and increase therapy program spaces by building an outdoor pavilion and greenhouse. FCF’s therapeutic spaces were used for over 500 counselling sessions, as well as a variety of community organizations and school group visits totally over 400 people in 2022.

“The impact of this Ontario Trillium Foundation grant was substantial for Fiddlehead Care Farm and our community,” said Stephanie Deaken, executive director of FCF. “The COVID-19 pandemic led to soaring levels of calls for help from parents, as children presented with multiple signs of increased anxiety and decreased coping abilities. The pandemic left families feeling alone, helpless, and stressed. This grant allowed us to hire additional staff to answer those cries for help.”

FCF’s mission is to provide clinical and therapeutic services to children and young adults with unique needs through animal-assisted care farming. Skilled therapists use nature-based ecotherapy and animal-assisted interventions to support children and youth facing barriers and/or mental health concerns. Since the beginning of the pandemic, FCF’s objective was to remain open and continue to safely support children and families through what has been a very traumatic experience for many. Thanks to the $107,500 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, people of all abilities will be able to access these unique mental health supports. If you wish to learn more about FCF ‘s services, please visit the website: www.fiddleheadcarefarm.com

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