Family Bonding at Helping Friendly Farm – Part 2

Read Part 1 here

The rest of our time at Helping Friendly Farm in New Hope was spent with Jessica Zander (Jess) on the outside acreage surrounding the Sensory Barn. Jess encourages her guests to explore the areas of interest to them, and in no particular order; however, for the first trip to the farm, Jess was extremely intentional in showing my family where everything was. This way, upon further visits, my children are familiar and more comfortable in the environment.

Jess and I spoke a great deal about “intention.” As a parent of a son with Autism, my parenting needs to be intentional. Each moment of each day is a beautiful learning experience. Things need to be taught intentionally and repeatedly in order for my son to apply those new skills and generalize in all of his environments. Jess has built this farm with a great deal of intention. It is seen in every aspect of the farm, especially where the animals are concerned.

Moon and Elvis:

• The newest additions to Helping Friendly Farm are two donkeys that Jess recently adopted.
• They are currently in training to be prepared to interact with people of all abilities. 
• At the moment, Jess is having people of all abilities experience some time with them so that the donkeys become familiar with stimming, various sound volumes, as well as wheelchairs or any other physical aides.

Organic Gardens:

• Jess has many small gardens surrounded by paths that are also wheelchair accessible for her guests. “Even our pathways were intentional,” Jess said.
• Each garden has organic vegetables and herbs labeled. All guests can pick two leaves of their choosing and try the different vegetables and herbs around! Jess even encouraged my son to try (and enjoy!) some lettuce right out of the garden. His face lit up when he had some lettuce and was sure to let Jess know it was delicious – clearly the lettuce at Helping Friendly Farm is the best around if the pickiest eater loved it!
• The smell of the herbs was absolutely incredible—the lavender, which has soothing qualities and is a favorite at the farm, was something my son picked for me. I kept smelling it the rest of the day because I could not get enough!
• There are also different herbs that Jess’ guests may not be familiar with—like the pineapple sage that actually smells just like pineapple!

G.O.A.T.S:

• That is NOT a typo! The G.O.A.T.S at Helping Friendly Farm are all named after some famous G.O.A.T.S. – Tiger (Woods), Bolt (Usain), Brady (Tom), Wayne (Gretzky), Jordan (Michael), Pele, Babe (Ruth).
• The G.O.A.T.S. have all been through behavioral training in order for them to be calm around and perceptive of individuals of all abilities. “They can be trained just like dogs can be trained,” Jess shared. 
• I didn’t believe it until I saw it: these G.O.A.T.S. were the most docile creatures, just coming up to us and wanting a pet. It was such a calm experience for all of us!
• You can read more about the training for the G.O.A.T.S. here on the Helping Friendly Farm blog.

The Chickens:

• After Jess taught us all how to call the chickens, they also just came on by and hunched down when they wanted a pet. Guests can also help get the eggs from the chickens if they choose!
• FUN FACT: an egg is virtually impossible to break by squeezing! (That’s a good party trick for Jess to bring out to her guests.) We tried it for ourselves 🙂
• It was beautiful to be immersed with the animals while also knowing that they were comfortable at the farm and around humans.

The intentional planning Jess has to continue to engage in each day shines through each aspect of the farm; however, Jess is manning all aspects of the farm. While the love she has for what she does is evident in the heart and soul she pours into the farm, she is reliant on volunteers to help her keep the farm running. 

A goal for Jess? Well, she has many with the farm. Right now, Jess has a few neurodivergent individuals learning their way around the farm under her guidance. She would love to have the farm become self-sustaining—having people with all abilities who can help run the farm when Jess is not physically there. 

Jess sees a future in hosting community events in order to involve those who live around the farm. While Jess is the woman behind the farm, she wants to involve the community inasmuch as possible. She also wants the farm to be a place for everyone, regardless of their financial situation. Jess desires to have a scholarship fund in order to have schools or groups visit the farm who otherwise would be unable to.

It all goes back to intention. Jess has created this oasis for families of all abilities in New Hope, PA with the intention that they will form stronger relationships with each other. She has designed the entire farm with intention so that animals and humans can enjoy a peaceful moment amongst the daily chaos of everyday life. As a community, we must also respond with intention.

Consider volunteering your time and learning about this beautiful farm while helping Jess sustain her dream. You can also consider donating here, so that the farm can continue to reach families of all abilities. 

Thanks for opening your barn doors to us, Jess. I hope that our community will respond with intention and help you grow this unique farm into all you want it to be.