We’re home to those with special needs and the longest-running CSA farm in the county.
Homefields is an award-winning nonprofit organization dedicated to creating new life options for people who have disabilities. A modern ranch and 1800s farmhouse are the homes, and a 19-acre farm is the stage. Hundreds of people who have a disability or other barrier to traditional employment have engaged at our Care Farm, growing organic produce for community shareholders. Six adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities call us “Home.”
Core Purpose
To nurture meaningful experiences that connect people of all abilities to each other and to the land.
Homefields is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization
EIN: 23-2744180 PA BOC: 26729
Core Values
Options: We create opportunities for people of all abilities. Respect: We recognize, respect, and support all abilities, histories, and identities. Integrity: We opt for goodness in our actions and legacy, toward our constituents and the land. Adaptability: We respond to our dynamic community and environment.
Stable
Our first residents moved here over 30 years ago, and the companies we work with have been here since the beginning. Annual fundraisers attract loyal attendees. Homefields’ roots are wide and deep.
Dynamic
Whether it’s the farmers at work, plein air painters in the fields, weekly CSA member pickup, or a deer caught on the motion camera, our campus is always alive with activity.
“Our son has been part of Homefields since 2001 which has greatly changed his life. He is autistic and learning disabled. With interaction of his peers and co-workers he is more verbal and feels like he has a purpose. He loves the ‘farm’ and learning new skills. He would rather go to work at the farm than go on vacation or to Special Olympic state games in bowling or bocce.”
—Our History: A Synopsis—
I. Conception
In 1991, a group of parents gathered to discuss the state of affairs for their children. Existing programs were at capacity with long waiting lists. Determined to build a step where none existed, we imagined a more flexible environment where adults with special needs, families, and the community, would partner together to create new opportunities.
We wrote a mission statement and envisioned homes situated on land that supported a small farming operation with year-round projects. This environment, with many on-going activities, would stimulate residents and offer them new options. Then we took that dream and made it come true.
Jim Determan, a founding Homefields member, breaks ground that had been untilled for a very long time.
II. Realization
In 1992, five families incorporated, pooled their finances, and purchased an eight-acre horse-boarding farm in Millersville, PA. The people who moved to Homefields, with the help of their families, were instrumental in renovating and personalizing their own home. Three years after our first meeting, three adults who require assisted living moved into the stone house. Soon after, the ranch house was completed and three other residents moved into that home.
III. The CSA Program
After our housing program was secure, it was time to connect Homefields to a larger community. In 2000, we launched a community supported farm program, bringing job opportunities to people with disabilities and hundreds of families to our fields. Homefields Care Farm was certified organic in 2022.
IV. The Educational Program
In 2013, we initiated a program seeking to connect local experts to residents, shareholders, and families in the community, promoting healthy living through information and education. Over 145 workshops to date have addressed health and wellness areas from yoga to beekeeping to backpacking.
V. The Present
In 2025, residents continue to live as independently as possible at Homefields, which expanded to 19 acres. They are supported by the staff of Community Services Group, families, advocates, Behavioral Health and Developmental Services of Lancaster County, and a Board of Directors. Hundreds of people who have a disability or other barrier to traditional employment have engaged at our Care Farm, growing organic produce for community shareholders.
