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New Freedom Farm expands with community center for veterans in need

BUCHANAN, Va. ā€“ A Buchanan horse farm focused on helping veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder now has a new addition.

The Steve Goodwin Veterans Center opened at New Freedom Farm Saturday morning. The center provides a place for veterans to relax indoors, as well as New Freedom Farmā€™s offices.

Veterans who frequent the farm say they are happy to see it expand.

ā€œNew Freedom Farm means everything to me," said Andrew Kintgen, an Army veteran who teaches at the farm. "We have a lot of alike conversation and ways to help each other out.ā€

ā€œItā€™s a backbone," said David Work of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association. "Itā€™s a structure I know is here and I can come to when Iā€™m in need. We might not have been in the sandbox, but we share an underlying bond.ā€

The community center, which was constructed within an existing farm building on the property, took more than a year to complete. It is the first indoor gathering place for the farm. Kintgen says that is crucial with the amount of elderly veterans that frequent the farm.

ā€œThere are a lot of veterans that are wheelchair bound, that canā€™t stand for long periods of time, that canā€™t be in the hot or cold for long periods of time<' Kintgen said. "Having a climate-controlled area is super beneficial to what the farmā€™s mission is.ā€

Farm director Lois Fritz said she dedicated the building to Steve Goodwin because he inspired Fritz to develop the farm. However, Goodwin died before the buildingā€™s completion.

ā€œI wish today that he could see this with all of these people," Fritz told the crowd at the grand opening. "He had more faith in me than I did.ā€

New Freedom Farm has been in operation since 2016.