Hydroponic farming is tall task for veterans' nonprofit in Sarasota

About a dozen ladies representing Gardeners Out East were sifting through thousands of hydroponically grown strawberries Jan. 11 during a tour of Sweetgrass Farms in Manatee County.

Bryan Jacobs, whose nonprofit Vets2Success now operates at Sweetgrass Farms, smiled as he watched the ladies, who couldn't help pulling weeds.

"It's what they do," Jacobs said with a smile.

It's the type of thing Jacobs covets as he attempts to build the hydroponic farm, which sits just north of University Parkway and east of U.S. 301 at 8350 Carolina St., into a major funding source that will allow Vets2Success create programs to help veterans reintegrate into their communities.

To make it all work, Jacobs knows he will need a major volunteer effort, much that will come from veterans who want to give back. However, groups like Gardeners Out East might also play a part.

Last fall, Gardeners Out East was considering what to do with money left over from fundraisers held to build the Blue Star Memorial at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall. They decided to meet with Jacobs, a veteran who was deployed twice in Iraq. While he served as a battlefield paramedic with the Marines, he actually was with the U.S. Navy.

"Bryan came to our board meeting," said Karen Eckert, the president of the garden club. "He is very impressive, and we learned that what he says, he delivers."

What he told them was he was determined to revive Sweetgrass Farms, which had been started by landowners Jim and Kathy Demler in 2014. The Demlers decided not to continue farming the 10-acre parcel after the spring of 2018, but they agreed to allow Jacobs to use the land to benefit Vets2Success.

On Nov. 6, Jacobs and his volunteers started to clear the property, which had sat idle since the spring. By the time the Gardeners Out East toured, more than 10,000 plants were nearing maturity.  Jacobs planned to start selling his produce to markets in another couple weeks and he hopes to open the farm to the public to self pick by the second week of February.

The Gardeners Out East were unanimous in saying their $2,500 grant to Vets2Success was well spent.

"He is doing it smart," Eckert said.

One of the reasons Eckert and the garden club chose Jacobs was his connection to Lakewood Ranch. He is a graduate of the USF hospitality program on Lakewood Main Street and he now teaches his Vet2Chef program there.

Although he demonstrated his exceptional gardening knowledge during the Gardeners Out East tour, Jacobs' expertise begins with his love of cooking.

"My grandfather (Herb Schaefer) was a cook during his 20 years in the Navy," Jacobs said.

After Jacobs left after his own six years in the Navy, he suffered from PSTD and at one time was homeless.

"It was like a whole, new war had started," Jacobs said. "I thought I mattered, but it seemed no one cared who I was. I was lonely and I felt like a failure. Two tours are not easy ... you see life and death every day."

In 2014, Jacobs' younger brother and veteran, Kevin Jacobs, committed suicide.

"I refocused my energy," Bryan Jacobs said. "Losing my brother was an eye opener.  I wanted to help homeless, displaced and second-chance veterans. I've always had a service mindset. I want teamwork and camaraderie."

In developing a plan, he found his love of food again. He started Vet2Success. He used his military background in the culinary world, teaching his Vet2Chef course like a 13-week bootcamp. All 42 veterans who have entered the program have found a job in the food industry after completing it.

"Something about my life just clicked," he said.

In clicking, though, he had to find a way to fund his efforts. The farm could be the answer.

"(Nonprofits) reach out to someone else for help," he said. "But being a nonprofit is a business and you've got to be creating opportunities. You need to sell something, create something."

To be successful with the farm, Jacobs will need volunteers to do much of the manual labor. He believes veterans will step up to help, but he also hopes to find more volunteers like Greg Shuey.

Sarasota's Shuey is a Home Depot installation manager who has been donating 40 to 50 hours of his time or more weekly to the farm. He said he simply loves working on a farm and he wants to help veterans.

"Greg is a godsend," Jacobs said. "I had been praying about this project. Every time I pray, something amazing has happened. We are so fortunate that Greg found us."

Vets2Success also benefitted when Marissa Allen joined the volunteer workforce.

"She's on the business and structure side," Jacobs said. "She has been handling strategic planning, revenue and marketing."

Meanwhile, the Gardeners Out East might be doing some volunteer work themselves. 

"They understand the simplicity of all this," he said. "And they know they are changing lives through their effort."

That effort might even include pulling weeds.

"If we could live on weeds, it would be great," Jacobs said.

For information on the farm or Vets2Success program, go to vets2success.org.