Veteran’s Employment Base Camp and Organic Garden (VEBCOG) is a nonprofit organization designed to reintroduce unemployed, disabled, and homeless veterans back into the workforce as productive, employable individuals. Located in New Bern, NC, VEBCOG uses horticulture therapy to help rehabilitate veterans and grow organic fruits and vegetables to sell at farmers markets and distribute to disabled veterans. They received a $4,400 grant to purchase two Slovenian beehives, which are more accessible to disabled beekeepers.
VEBCOG’s new beehives have been a success! The innovative design of their two new hives is more accessible to disabled beekeepers, eliminating most of the need for lifting, as well as being moveable, which will enable the beekeepers to transport them, if their area floods as it has in previous seasons. They’ve been able to add beekeeping to their programming and increased their annual workshops from five to 10. Executive Director Lovay Wallace Singleton also told us that the hives “…will potentially increase the program sustainability income from $4000.00 to $6000.00, through selling “Veteran Honey” and beeswax items at our farmers market. These exciting new items will be produced in 2020/21.”
