JOANN AND SEAN BURNEY, FOUNDERS OF ALLAIRE COMMUNITY FARM USE RESCUE ANIMALS AND GROWING PLANTS TO WORK WITH SPECIAL NEEDS PEOPLE, VETERANS WITH PTSD AND FAMILIES EFFECTED BY CANCER. THEIR NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION'S MISSION IS "NURTURE THROUGH NATURE"JoAnn and Sean Burney, founders of the Allaire Community Farm, were the speakers at the meeting on Thursday, Aug. 1. The Allaire Community Farm is an animal rescue organization. The organization is going into its fourth year as a nonprofit and sixth as a farm. The organization’s mission is “Nurture through Nature.” JoAnn, Sean, and others are there to help as well as encourage. They see a potential in everyone.
People on the farm use their rescue animals to work with individuals who have special needs. Some individuals are teenagers who have anxiety problems, social issues, or self-harming tendencies. People on the farm also work with families who have been affected by cancer. The farm’s big push this year is working with veterans who have post-traumatic stress disorder. Children’s mental health awareness hasn’t gone unnoticed to JoAnn or Sean. Mental health among children is a problem in Monmouth County. One in five children in Monmouth County is now presently taking advantage of mental health services. One in five—just think for a moment how many children aren’t provided help. So one of the organization’s goals is to destigmatize mental health. Nobody should be embarrassed to seek help. “Mental illness doesn’t have to be a lifelong scenario,” said JoAnn. “It can be a situational scenario where the child was traumatized, or bullied, or whatever. But we get them through it.”
The organization partners with Whole Foods in Wall Township. JoAnn goes there every Sunday and picks up good organic groceries. The groceries are matched with items that are already on the farm. Mixed greens have been year-round in the greenhouses. 28 varieties of tomatoes are grown on the farm (800 tomato plants are in the ground). Other items include peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, zucchini, beans, eggs, as well as honey. Plus, people on the farm have started to make natural anti-itch poison ivy sprays and natural ointments.
JoAnn, Sean, and the others recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of being at the organization’s new location, which is adjacent to the Wall Township Municipal Center. The new location’s address is 1923 Baileys Corner Rd, Wall Township, 07719. The organization was able to acquire a U.S. government loan; the property closure was on Tuesday, June 5, 2018. The location has 25 ½ acres. Eight buildings are on the property right now with four more on the way. There is an indoor petting zoo. The farm has an open-air pavilion, which is a one-sided building.
Programs at the farm have really expanded. Individuals go to volunteer; they are taught skills. Those who aren’t able to learn new skills can still receive benefits. For example, they can walk the farm and get exercise. Individuals care for the animals, do seeding and planting, go horse riding, and more. Groups come from the Arc of Monmouth, the Arc of Ocean, Family Resource Associates (FRA), Bancroft, and other places.
Thanks to help from the Asbury Park Rotary Club, the organization was able to build raised beds that are 30 inches high. The 30-inch height is good for people in wheelchairs. Those individuals can now provide more production.
Class trips to the farm are arranged. Some trips include children from preschools and elementary schools. Groups that are there regularly include individuals who are 21 or older. The farm currently has 150 volunteers (70 percent is the population with special needs). Without being accompanied by a parent or a grandparent, a child with special needs has to be at least 10 years old to be a volunteer. A child with special needs can be any age if he or she is with a parent or a grandparent.