General Questions
VetREST is a A 501(c)(3) (non-profit) organizatio founded in 2012 by Ret. Major General Dan York (USAR) to help Veterans "Find Peace from the Hidden Battle" by mentoring Veterans. We strive to provide farming opportunities in safe and supportive environment where Veterans can achieve wellness themselves and produce healthy food for our nation.
VetREST offers volunteer and mentoring opportunities for Veterans to help them with their mental health, and to help provide food for our nation. It's win-win.
We are committed to providing a caring, safe environment where any Veteran suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) or other challenges can heal. We find that greenhouses, gardens, and farms provide a terrific, healing space and opportunity for us to provide "come-alongside" mentoring.
Please see our How to Help page which lists ways to volunteer, sponsor, donate, attend events, and more.
Therapeutic Horticulture is a form of therapy that brings out the healing power of working and tending the land. The VetREST Therapeutic Horticulture series is our new initiative to help Veterans in the Portland Metro area find their peace. Through grant funding, we are offering facilitated monthly activities that highlight the seasonality of garden work and parallels to personal growth. Find out more.
CSA Questions
Our VetREST Cut Flower CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, is a new initiative launching in 2026 that will help fund our Bybee Lakes Hope Center Victory Garden production and operations. In exchange for a donation/subscription, from July to mid-October, CSA members will receive twice monthly cut flower floral bouquets that will be available for pick-up at several Metro-area locations.
See our GiveButter Cut Flower CSA page for more information.
For 2026, the basic Cut Flower CSA subscription is $300. We are asking for an optional additional donation of $150. We have a couple of fun add-on options of veggie starts ($30), a 'mystery box' of garden-related art-based goodies ($50), and native perennial plant starts ($50). And, if you really want to help us out, please consider paying the transaction fees on our payment site (GiveButter).
Most likely, but this depends on your individual tax situation. We encourage your to contact your tax professional for guidance. We provide the FMV (Fair Market Value) of your subscription on the sign-up page. To view, choose the "Subscribe to CSA" button to bring up the donation options along with their FMV).
Our tax ID will be included on your receipt, or on request.
Right here: VetREST Cut Flower CSA Membership Agreement
GiveButter is our partner in fundraising. It was co-founded by Max Friedman, Ari Krasner, and Liran Cohen in 2016. The widely used platform helps us organize our contacts, donations, and activities.