AMHERST — As visitors from throughout the country toured ServiceNet’s successful Prospect Meadow Farm in Hatfield on Monday to learn about “care farming” — a therapeutic approach that combines agriculture and health care — Shawn Robinson shared the story of an employee who was thriving while working at the 18-acre property.
“He’s on the spectrum, and this was one of his first jobs,” Robinson, director of vocational services for ServiceNet, told his audience. “And I remember him coming after Christmas to me with a big smile on his face. And he told me because it was how excited he was to tell his cousins, his aunts, his uncles, about his job. … He was able to say, ‘I work at this awesome farm.’
“Having a job matters. … It gives you dignity,” said Robinson…