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St. Anthony Farm
St Anthony Farm provides a safe, supportive, and structured free residential drug and alcohol recovery program on an organic dairy farm in Sonoma. |
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St. Anthony Farm is located on a lush 315-acre farm outside of Petaluma. In this healthy, non-urban, recovery environment, very poor or homeless participants may heal and address destructive patterns related to their drug and alcohol abuse. Through a routine that consists of work, recreation, education, solitude and peer feedback, participants are both challenged and supported to take personal responsibility for their lives. Program participants work in an organic garden, on the grounds crew, in the facility kitchen, or in the commercial dairy while participating in a social model 12-step based rehabilitation program. |
The program lasts 6 months and includes: |
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Individual counseling sessions |
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Education groups |
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Structured recreation opportunities |
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AA/NA groups and outside meetings |
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Structured work component |
Program graduates are eligible to transition to the Fourth Phase recovery segment at Fr. Alfred Center in San
Francisco.
Organic Dairy
The work component of the Farm is vital to the recovery process. More than 250 cows are milked twice daily at the organic dairy, producing over 1800 gallons of organic milk that are sold commercially to Clover-Stornetta.
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Organic Garden
Participants also have the opportunity to work in an organic garden that was developed in 1993. The 1-acre garden produces fresh vegetables and fruit for Farm residents, St. Anthony's other residential programs in San Francisco and local free food programs. The therapeutic value of weeding, sowing, planting, harvesting and feasting greatly enhances the quality of the recovery program at the Farm. |
Sustainability
In an effort to preserve the environment that helps heal us all, St. Anthony Farm is actively engaged in sustainable farm practices. In addition to operating an organic dairy farm and producing healthy food in our organic garden, our methane biodigester was constructed in 2007 to generate power from farm produced manure. The generation of electricity from the biodigester reduces greenhouse emissions and provides a substantial portion of the electrical requirements for the farm.
Requirements for Admission
Intakes and evaluations are performed on a first come, first serve basis Monday — Thursday at 8:00 a.m. Requirements for admission to the program are based on the Farm being a volunteer social model work program with limited access to medical, dental and psychiatric services, and include:
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No outstanding warrants, court cases, or other legal matters that would require one's personal appearance while a resident at the Farm. |
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No assets and no income from GA, state disability, SSI or Unemployment. |
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No chronic medical or psychiatric conditions that would prevent full participation in the program. |
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Must be able to fully participate in the work component of the program. |
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Must be alcohol- and drug-free for 72 hours. |
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