A ceremonial seed planting will be part of today's official opening of the Veterans' Garden, 918 W. Sligh Avenue in Tampa, across from Lowry Park Zoo.
The event is set for 10:30 a.m. and will include recognition of USAA, which provided a grant to expand the sustainable garden for veterans.
It's a place where veterans can volunteer and learn agriculture techniques. The produce they raise will be donated to veterans at risk of homelessness.
"Veterans found that since they started community agriculture initiatives that they were more comfortable talking with civilians and more comfortable talking to strangers and people that didn’t have a military background," said VA researcher Karen Besterman-Dahan, "Those were really important things."
She said researchers are just beginning to study the therapeutic value of agriculture and gardening to help veterans manage depression, anxiety and symptoms of post-traumatic stress.
