Had a great build this past weekend for a local Army & Purple Heart recipient Veteran Dave Buzz. Our partners at The Home Depot Foundation really came through for this build. Tabitha Hewlett and the fantastic and efficient volunteer group from Home Depot store 3609- Myrtle Grove, big thanks for coming out. What a way to kick off the season at Frontline Gardens here in Eastern NC!

Veteran Bio- My name is David Buzzard. I’m a husband a father and activist for veterans causes in a veteran myself. I was in the army for three years. I was a combat infantryman. I did my tour of duty in Afghanistan in the Tangi Valley, where I earned two purple hearts And two separate IED blast today I spent my times advocating for veterans causes and better veterans healthcare after experiencing horrendous healthcare myself upon returning and reintegrating into society as a civilian. I struggled with PTSD and other ailments which many other veterans struggle with, and I struggle to find a purpose and a cause worth supporting. It’s hard to match the type of feeling you get when you’re serving such an honor organization, and such an honorable way, and then you return back to society and no one really understands what you’ve been through and what you’ve seen.

As the years have come and gone, I have truly grown to appreciate and love gardening. There’s something very therapeutic about getting your hands, dirty, listening to the birds chirping, feeling the earthworm crawling through this natural soil, cultivating seed, and watching it grow throughout stages and finally enjoying the fruits of your labor, both physically and Spiritually. I truly believe the future of veteran healing on a massive scale involves small scale farming sections on lots of land for which the veteran can toil and then reap the reward of the eventual blooms of their efforts. It gives a purpose, a sense of meaning you’re bringing life. You’re doing something positive with your effort in time, and that in itself is healing, and this is why I would truly appreciate a garden from Frontline gardens. The truth is that even doing chores in the yard is expensive. But wheel barrel was $200, a shovel was 50, the wood for the projects is an unbelievable cost, cement, etc. sometimes it can become overwhelming and so often times veterans don’t even get involved or even initiate the process. I have been doing my process very slowly with the spare bit of money that I have on the side from raising my family and two little girls. Your help in achieving a bigger garden would help make me feel more fulfilled and feeding my family more nutritious meals And make me feel a sense of pride and providing that to them. Help me grow a bigger impact in my own self fulfillment by helping me achieve a new garden.