Bohemia, NY (PRWEB) December 21, 2013
Organic farmers market Colle Farmers Market responds to an article published by The Atlantic on December 9th, which discusses an organic farm in Indiana operated by farmers with autism.
According to The Atlantic article entitled “An Organic Greenhouse Run by Farmers With Autism,” autistic people, even college graduates, are finding a hard time finding jobs. Chris Tidmarsh, an autistic graduate of Hope College, is a great example of this phenomenon. “Nearly all of his peers with autism were chronically unemployed despite having post-secondary degrees,” Chris’s mother Jan Pilarski says in the article. “Our world seemed small and bleak. I didn't have much hope to change the minds of potential employers to help Chris get a job. On the other hand, I saw an opportunity to be entrepreneurial about the staggering 90 percent unemployment rate confronting people with autism.”
In order to provide a future for her son, Pilarski opened a prototype aquaponic greenhouse in South Bend, Indiana. Despite initial success, the farm did not make enough money to fund a commercial-scale greenhouse based on the prototype. To gain the money needed to continue farming, Jan and Chris turned to the Internet. In a heartfelt video on indiegogo.com, a Kickstarter alternative, the family explained that funding the farm would allow them to produce 45,000 pounds of organic vegetables each year, in addition to hiring five other autistic young adults like Chris. The project quickly reached its $15,000 crowdsourcing milestone.
A representative from Colle Farmers Market, an organic farmers market, commends Jan Pilarski for her accomplishment. “Jan Pilarski has done more than just open up a great new organic farm. She is also providing jobs for those who need them most. We cannot be happier for her, her son, and her business.”
The Colle rep also says that organic food has been linked to help treat people with autism. “Some research has suggested that organic food helps prevent autism in children,” he says. “This farm is a great way for Jan’s son, and their co-workers to raise awareness for this issue and live a healthy life.”
Colle Farmers Market is an E-Commerce enabled community that is passionate about sustainable consumption and responsible conservation. The Colle movement is dedicated to connecting natural product vendors, organic farmers and all people who are living an organic and natural lifestyle.
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