- Heroes to Hives has built an alumni base of more than 10,000 veterans across the country.
- The program serves as a form of therapy for veterans, providing time for reflection.
- WATCH: Veterans' beekeeping therapy program in Charlotte faces uncertain future.
The future of a program that helps veterans through beekeeping is in question due to uncertainty over federal funding. Heroes to Hives, which assists veterans living with PTSD, may face significant changes to its operations.
I visited the Charlotte VFW post where Gary Brown teaches the Heroes to Hives program. Brown explained that the beekeeping activities serve as therapy for veterans, allowing them time to reflect while working with the bees.
"Everything is up in the air, where sitting back waiting to see what's going to happen, we would really like to see something more on this," Heroes to Hives Teacher Gary Brown said.
The program has grown significantly over the years, building an alumni network of more than 10,000 members nationwide. However, it now faces its biggest challenge yet.
Adam Ingrao, National Director and Co-Founder of Heroes to Hives, explained the current situation.
"Because of the freezes that have gone on with USDA funding, grant cycles we are used to having every year they have been frozen," National Director and Co-Founder of Heroes to Hives Adam Ingrao said.
Due to these changes in federal grant funding from the USDA, some Heroes to Hives programs are currently on hold.
Brown, who has led the course in Charlotte for several years, is uncertain about the program's future but remains optimistic.
"That's a question I really don't know, we are going to try to keep this program running," Brown said.
I've reached out to the USDA for comment and will update this story when they respond.
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