Submitted by GRuB
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are winding down and the Department of Defense is in force reduction mode. Joint Base Lewis McChord is looking to reduce its footprint by 11,000 Soldiers and Service members over the next 2 years. Our region of Thurston, Pierce and Mason Counties are projected to have the highest Post 9/11 Veteran population growth rate in the State of Washington through 2020. On Thursday March 26th at 6pm at the Capitol Theater, the South Sound community is invited to come together to celebrate the powerful opportunities that are emerging to connect these transitioning veterans with each other, nature and the local food system.
In a community so deeply impacted by and integrated with active duty and veteran populations, the challenges that veterans face as they transition and assimilate to civilian life won’t be overcome by veterans alone. It will take all of us, as a community, coming together to ensure that the veterans in our midst have sufficient support and opportunities to reconnect, heal and redefine their personal sense of purpose. The very sad reality is that 22 veterans kill themselves every day in this country, according to a report released in February of last year by the Department of Veterans Affairs. “Far too often, we’re leaving our veterans to fight their toughest battles alone,” Senator John Walsh told CNN.
A new form of hope for veterans in transition is emerging, like the GRuB Growing Veterans program. Could horticulture, agriculture and dirt work be the answer? New partnerships are emerging in our community that afford veterans an opportunity to heal, and to ground their skills and talents through service, building gardens and growing food that nourishes families with locally grown produce. For some veterans, this passion will grow into viable farm based businesses that feed and sustain communities and our local economy. For others, the new relationships created through peer to peer contact and continued service will evolve into a renewed sense of purpose with strong community roots.
Please join GRuB, Growing Veterans, Enterprise for Equity, Oly Float, Rainier Therapeutic Riding, Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Veterans Conservation Corps as we explore the film Ground Operations and open the floor for a discussion, moderated by County Commissioner Bud Blake, about both the military draw down and the relationship between food security and successful Veteran transition.
Event information:
Thursday, March 26
Capitol Theater – 206 5th Ave SE in Olympia
Doors open at 6:00 p.m., film begins at 6:30 p.m. followed by an open forum and panel discussion
Learn more about the film at: http://www.groundoperations.net/.
