Day Program

At High Spirit Community Farm we strive to provide a Day Program that is flexible enough to accommodate all of the diverse needs and wishes of our participants, and to nourish relationships and meaningful connection. We do this with a low staff to participant ratio and, crucially, by providing a wealth of off-site activities in the community, and also providing robust programming on the same property where most of the participants live. This is what makes High Spirit particularly effective at allowing participants personal choice and fulfillment in their individualized Day Program.

Residents and Coworkers posing in one of the local community pools

CATA, a local arts organization, holds an art opening featuring artists with disabilities, and some artists from High Spirit.

Off-site activities are important because we all need the opportunity to go places, to have new experiences, to see friends, to benefit from and be impacted by the world around us, and to give back to the world as well. We are lucky to live in the Berkshires in Massachusetts, a place with a long history of openness to people with IDD. The participants of our Day Program can choose from a wide variety of arts programs, physical recreation activities, social activities, shopping and work opportunities in our area. You can learn more about the specific activities by looking at our Community Partners, listed below. The High Spirit crew gives back to the community by packing up our excess garden produce, picking up extra garden produce from other local farm friends, and then donating it to the food pantries in Great Barrington and Pittsfield.

Sitting and shelling peas can be a great way to rest in the shade on a hot day in the garden.

The heart of our Day Program revolves around the on-site activities: caring for gardens and animals, working and gathering in the Grange building where we cook, preserve our produce, create art and music together.

On-site programming allows for “gentle” scheduling - If a resident cannot make it to their regularly scheduled off-site activity, there is always something going on that they can do on-site, when they are ready. They can join a group working in the Grange or garden, or they can do something else with a 1:1 staff person that more appropriately suits their needs for that day. 

There are so many ways to contribute to the farm.   We can always find ways to be engaged, no matter what our ability to contribute that day is. Some people enjoy large motor skills activities like shoveling compost into wheelbarrows and dumping it in the garden. While others love fine motor tasks, like planting seedlings or weeding. And still others might benefit simply by sitting in the sun and joining the crew by watching and appreciating the moment. We tailor the task to the person so that everyone is as engaged as they can be. 

The greenhouse is sunny and warm, providing us with a comfortable outdoor space even in cold or inclement weather.

The Farm provides us with a sense of purpose. We grow food that we eat. We steward the land that we live on. We all have a sense of responsibility, and also a sense of pride in our work on this property. 

The farm and related activities provide us with the physical and mental health benefits of keeping us physically active, getting us outdoors regularly in the fresh air and sun, and strengthening our connection to nature and the seasons.

We cleared our pasture of fallen branches after a late winter storm, so that we could prepare the soil to grow fodder for our pigs, goats and chickens.

Land Work gives us an opportunity to work in a team, or to find a peaceful rhythm while tending to the soil and vegetables.

Community Partners

“High Spirit taught me that we’re all a bit quirky sometimes, that we’re all human beings in the end that just come in different shapes and forms, and, most importantly, that it’s always okay to need help in life, and it doesn’t matter whether that’s help in everyday life or help with making an important decision. I’m incredibly thankful for the time I got to spend at this very special place.”

— Linda Buchner, Residential Volunteer ‘23