GREENHOUSE AND HABILITATION SPECIALIST SINCE 1996

Several years ago, Jim McCann, Founder and Chairman of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc., received a call that would change the lives of the McCann family and greatly improve the prospects for adults with developmental disabilities, their families and their communities.

Jim’s brother Kevin lived at the Independent Group Living Home (IGHL) in Moriches, NY, a residence for people with developmental disabilities. IGHL Founder and CEO Walter Stockton knew Kevin and other adult residents would flourish if they had the chance to work at meaningful jobs. But employment opportunities for developmentally delayed adults were scarce. On the call, Walter wondered if Jim could help.

He could, and, with his brother Chris McCann and in partnership with IGHL, he opened the first Smile Farms campus in 2015.

Since that day, Smile Farms has become a nonprofit leader in creating solutions for the problem of unemployment among young adults and adults with developmental disabilities. The organization provides meaningful jobs in agricultural settings for these women and men, almost none of whom have worked before. For the first time ever, they are able to experience the satisfaction of mastering new skills, the pleasure of contributing to their team and community, and the thrill of taking home a paycheck.

Smile Farms at IGHL, Moriches, NY – the organization’s first location – which provides programs, services and support for people with intellectual disabilities. 30 employees grow annuals, perennials and herbs in 19 greenhouses, with the produce sold in an onsite retail store and to local florists and communities.

Address: 1 Montauk Highway Moriches, New York 11955
Phone Number: (631) 874-2470

Smile Farms at IGHL Administration Building, Manorville, NY features a greenhouse and four raised beds where 30 employees grow produce for IGHL residences.

Address: 221 N Sunrise Service Rd, Manorville, NY 11949
Phone Number: (631) 874-2470

Smile Farms at Holly’s Guest House\IGHL, Center Moriches, NY, a bed-and-breakfast where IGHL visitors often stay. 24 employees grow vegetables organically in 8 raised beds, with the produce used for meals at Holly’s.

Address: 23 Montauk Highway, Center Moriches, NY 11934
Phone Number: (631) 874-2470

Smile Farms at Cornell Cooperative Extension, a nonprofit community education agency, in partnership with IGHL, Yaphank, NY. 24 employees work on this campus’s organic farm; the produce helps offset the food costs for IGHL’s many facilities.

Address: 350 Yaphank Avenue, Yaphank, NY 11980
Phone Number: (631) 852-4600

Smile Farms at League Education & Treatment Center (LETC), Brooklyn, NY, which serves adults with psychiatric and intellectual disabilities. 11 employees tend eight raised beds, a hoop house that allows for year-round operations, and a sensory garden where a variety of traditional and nonconventional fruits and vegetables are grown, with the intention of selling them to high-end stores.

Address: 567 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11203
Phone Number: (718) 643-5300

Smile Farms at The Viscardi Center, Albertson, NY, which runs a transitional program for young adults and adults with developmental disabilities and educates children with severe physical disabilities: 10 employees grow vegetables hydroponically and in garden beds. To prepare future gardeners, The Viscardi Center has incorporated horticulture into its science curriculum.

Address: 201 I U Willets Rd, Albertson, NY 11507
Phone Number: (516) 465-1400

Smile Farms at Skills Unlimited, Oakdale, NY, which provides vocational training for those with intellectual, developmental, and mental health diagnoses: 10 employees tend 24 raised beds growing vegetables and herbs, with the harvest used in the onsite kitchen.

Address: 405 Locust Ave, Oakdale, NY 11769
Phone Number: (631) 567-1626

Smile Farms at Skills Unlimited, Oakdale, NY, which provides vocational training for those with intellectual, developmental, and mental health diagnoses: 10 employees tend 24 raised beds growing vegetables and herbs, with the harvest used in the onsite kitchen.

Address: 405 Locust Ave, Oakdale, NY 11769
Phone Number: (631) 567-1626

Smile Farms at Riverpark Farm in partnership with the Center for Family Support, which provides support services for individuals with developmental disabilities. 2 employees work at Riverpark, one of the largest urban farms in New York, supplying produce to Riverpark restaurant next door. This campus is the first that includes a for-profit enterprise.

Address: 450 E 29th Street, New York, NY 10016
Phone Number: (212) 729-9790

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