ABERDEEN, Sask. – There wasn’t much to see Oct. 30 when more than 100 people gathered in a field near Aberdeen – just three shovels and two signs.
However, they represented the future of Saskatchewan adults with developmental disabilities.
The gathering marked the official start of construction of Farm in the Dell, a residence program designed to support adults with developmental disabilities in a farm-like setting.
The first Farm in the Dell was established in Helena, Montana, in 1989. Since then, two more farms have been established in Montana, one in Pennsylvania and one in Krygyzstan.
The land near Aberdeen will be Canada’s first Farm in the Dell. It will be a home for 10 people and provide vocational work for 15.
“It will benefit the residents just being out in nature, out on the land, and just being quiet and peaceful,” said Lynette Zacharias, co-executive director of Saskatchewan’s Farm in the Dell.
Her colleague, co-executive director Krista Neufeld, said it’s a perfect situation for those who grew up on a farm.
