Monday, November 10, 2014

Food Tank's 21 Projects Helping Vets Through Food and Agriculture

This Veteran’s Day, the non profit Food Tank brings you 21 organizations from around the world that are working to help veterans heal their wounds through farming and agriculture. These organizations are working to improve the lives of veterans and create a sustainable food system by educating veterans to be sustainable vegetable producers, providing job and skills training, and helping families rebuild their lives after civil war.

In the United States alone, there are 19.6 million veterans. According to the Independent Voter Network, approximately 3.6 million veterans have a service-related disability, 7.6 percent of veterans are unemployed, and veterans make up 13 percent of the adult homeless population. The National Coalition of Homeless Veterans finds that 1.4 million more are at risk of homelessness due to poverty and lack of support. Additionally, up to 20 percent of Iraqi War veterans have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and 30 percent of Vietnam War veterans have suffered from PTSD at some point in their life.

Fortunately, farming can have a positive impact on the lives of veterans around the world. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), gardens offer many benefits for both physical and mental health. Not only do they provide healthy food, but they also help people to engage in physical activity, build marketable skills, improve social well-being, and decrease violence in neighborhoods.

To check out all of Food Tank's 21 organizations that help veterans through farming and agriculture you can go to:

Food Tank's is a 501(c)3 non profit organization who's mission is focused on building a global community for safe, healthy, nourished eaters. They spotlight environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable ways of alleviating hunger, obesity, and poverty and create networks of people, organizations, and content to push for food system change.

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