CATLETTSBURG, Ky. - A group of men might’ve found their new favorite type of therapy out in Boyd County.
It is a part of pilot program for the Recovery Gardens. The Sanibel House teamed up with the University of Kentucky Boyd County Extension Cooperative to offer this program to 28 men.
The Recovery Gardens lets the men create, tend to, and harvest vegetables they’ve grown themselves. It was made possible by grants given to the University of Kentucky nutrition and education program.
The healthy habits aspect of the program is extremely important because the majority of those in the recovery centers have not taken care of their bodies. It is vital to their recovery that the men strengthen their bodies in order to help overcome their addiction.
The harvests will be used to prepare meals a their facilities. The goal of the program is two fold.
The short-term goal is to involved the gardening in their recovery therapy by giving them a sense of accomplishment and pride in growing their own plants.
The long-term goal is that by teaching them to garden and use their crops in healthy recipes, these are life skills that they can carry with them after they leave the facility.