What VetREST does

VetREST is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2012 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, that delivers therapeutic horticulture and organic farming programs to U.S. military veterans living with post-traumatic stress (PTSD) and to residents of partner transitional housing sites. Service delivery is entirely place-based, anchored by a near-3-acre flagship Victory Garden at the Bybee Lakes Hope Center (located on the redeveloped Wapato Corrections Facility site), supplemented by a 5-acre Metro Central Victory Garden at St. John's Village and smaller satellite farms including the Haller Tiny Farm in Florida.

Programmatic offerings include a Therapeutic Horticulture Series, a peer-led National Mentoring Program with a stated scaling target of 50 veterans across 10 states, and a launching Cut Flower CSA subscription for summer 2026 structured as two annual share tiers ($300 Full Bloom for 8 bouquets, $175 Seedling for 4 bouquets). A Mason Bee pollination program is being added in collaboration with Crown Bees. Additional ecosystem partners include Portland Parks & Recreation (Cathedral Park Nature Patch, April and November 2025), Friends of Trees (planting events, February 2025), and the Portland Timbers (Stand Together Week, July 2025). The operational stack is entirely physical — gardens, bees, and CSA logistics — with no proprietary software, AI/ML component, or digital platform disclosed.

Revenue mechanics are hybrid nonprofit: small direct transactional income from CSA subscriptions and Dining-In fundraising event tickets ($50 West Coast / $100 East Coast), with the larger share of operating support coming from individual donations and corporate sponsorships from UPS, Home Depot, Pacific Landscaping, and the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs. CSA distribution runs through pickup points across the Portland metro and a weekly St. Johns Farmers Market stall. Staffing is reported at 1–10 employees, consistent with a small community-rooted nonprofit budget. Leadership is led by founder Major General (ret.) Daniel York and CEO Lt. Col. (ret.) Robert F. Vicci.

Name

VetREST

Legal name

VetREST

Website

https://vetrest.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

VetREST is a Portland, Oregon-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2012 that runs therapeutic horticulture and organic farming programs on Victory Garden sites for U.S. military veterans with PTSD and transitional housing residents, supported by donations, corporate sponsorships, and a launching Cut Flower CSA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veteran Support Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterans & Military-to-Civilian Transition Programs (EDAAAOAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Trauma-Informed Mindfulness & Somatic Mind-Body Practices (HSADAJAI)

Keywords

• Therapeutic horticulture programs
• Veteran peer mentoring
• Community supported agriculture
• Victory garden initiatives
• Organic farming therapy

Headquarters

HQ city

Colorado

HQ country

Mexico

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorship: Individual donations and corporate sponsorships from organizations including Pacific Landscaping, Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs, UPS, Home Depot, and others. Sponsorship tiers available for events.
2. CSA Subscriptions: Cut Flower Community Supported Agriculture subscriptions generating revenue to sustain garden operations, fund workshops, educational activities, and community programs. Full Bloom share $300, Seedling share $175, with additional program donations encouraged.
3. Event Fundraising: Dining-In fundraising events on East Coast ($100/person) and West Coast ($50/person) featuring military tradition-rooted gatherings to raise awareness and funds for programs including a new greenhouse

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

VetREST mentors Veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress (PTS) by providing peer-led mentorship alongside hands-on therapeutic horticulture and organic farming opportunities in safe, supportive environments. Its flagship delivery is a portfolio of Victory Garden programs at transitional housing facilities (notably the nearly 3-acre Bybee Lakes Hope Center garden), supplemented by a Cut Flower CSA Subscription, a National Mentoring Program targeting 50 Veterans across 10 states, and recurring Therapeutic Horticulture sessions.

Product overview

VetREST operates as a non-profit organization offering a portfolio of veteran support programs centered on therapeutic horticulture and farming. The core offerings include Victory Garden programs at multiple locations (Bybee Lakes Hope Center, Metro Central, and partner sites) providing peer-led mentorship and farming skills; a Cut Flower CSA Subscription delivering fresh bouquets through summer; and a National Mentoring Program for veteran goal-setting and wellness. Additional programs include Therapeutic Horticulture monthly sessions and Mason Bee pollination initiatives. The organization focuses on helping veterans with PTSD find peace and community through hands-on agricultural activities while producing healthy food for transitional housing communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Victory Garden Programs
• Cut Flower CSA Subscription
• Therapeutic Horticulture Series
• National Mentoring Program
• Mason Bee Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 22,000+ volunteer hours contributed since 2012 through Stand Together Week alone
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• Crown BeesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Partnership with Crown Bees (founded by Dave Hunter) to introduce mason bee houses at Bybee Lakes Victory Garden. Crown Bees provides education and expertise on mason bee pollination, with bees serving as both practical pollinators and symbols of hope and healing for garden participants.
• Portland TimberscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2025Portland Timbers Stand Together Week - citywide volunteer initiative engaging hundreds of supporters, athletes, coaches, and staff with local nonprofits. VetREST participated in July 2025 with volunteers doing mulching, watering, weeding, and soil transport at Bybee Lakes Victory Garden. Since 2012, Stand Together Week has contributed over 22,000 hours with 250 organizations.
• Portland Parks & RecreationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Cathedral Park Nature Patch planting and restoration partnership. April 2025 reinvigorated south slope, adjusted pathways, and planted anchor trees. November 2025 planting event placed over 100 plants in the ground. Metro Government also involved as funding partner.
• Friends of TreescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025Multiple planting and maintenance partnerships. February 2025 event planted 843 plants using 88 volunteers contributing 275 hours. Activities include planting native shrubs, replanting wildflower meadows, and ongoing garden maintenance. Friends of Trees provides gloves, tools, guidance, and refreshments.
• Team RubiconcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with Team Rubicon (veteran-led humanitarian organization) for volunteer workdays. Notable projects include Build-a-Fence Day at Bybee Lakes Victory Garden. Team provides volunteer coordination and disaster response expertise for garden infrastructure projects.
• Bybee Lakes Hope Center / Helping Hands Reentry Outreach CentersflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlagship partnership with 501(c)(3) nonprofit Helping Hands Reentry Outreach Centers. VetREST operates a nearly 3-acre Victory Garden at the Bybee Lakes Hope Center (transformed from Wapato Corrections Facility), providing food for the Hope Center kitchen and therapeutic space for residents. Approximately 4,900 annual participants transit through the center, typically 10% veterans.
• Oregon State University Extension Service / OSU Master GardenersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership providing science-based information about sustainable gardening and horticulture. OSU Master Gardeners participate in garden workdays and educational activities, including orchard preparation and tree pruning guidance.
• Honl Tree CareminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTree care support partnership providing arborist expertise for orchard maintenance, tree pruning, and winter preparation activities at Victory Gardens.
• Oregon Department of Veterans AffairsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerState-level veterans affairs department providing sponsorship and recognition of VetREST's veteran support programs.
• Do Good Multnomah / St. Johns VillageminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with 19-unit transitional housing supportive community at St. Johns Village. VetREST developed Metro Central Victory Garden at this location, which serves as a place of peace and refuge for residents.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Farmer Veteran Coalition: National nonprofit supporting veterans in agriculture through fellowships, training, and resource networks — a broader scale peer with overlapping veteran-agriculture mission.
• Growing Veterans: Nonprofit that pairs veterans with organic farming and peer support in the Pacific Northwest, operating farm-based programs for PTSD recovery — directly comparable mission, geography, and therapeutic-horticulture model.
• Veterans to Farmers: National nonprofit providing agricultural training and career pathways to veterans; comparable in mission to upskill veterans through farming, though more curriculum-/career-focused than therapeutically focused.
• Swords to Plowshares: Veteran-services nonprofit focused on veteran transition, rehabilitation, and community reintegration — comparable to VetREST's mentoring and transitional housing mission, though urban-services rather than agriculture focused.
• Veterans Healing Farm: Veteran-focused farm and therapy community in North Carolina providing retreat, gardening, and equine programs — closely aligned horticulture therapy for veteran PTSD offering.
• Combat Veterans to Careers / Archi's Acres Veterans Farming Program: Veteran-focused agricultural training program based in California that combines sustainable agriculture education with veteran transition support — directly comparable farming-for-veterans offering.
• Hope for the Warriors: National veteran-services nonprofit delivering health and wellness, transition, and community programs — a broader scope veteran-services peer overlapping in transition support and wellness outcomes.

Emerging players

• Team Rubicon: Veteran-led humanitarian nonprofit already partnered with VetREST; shares veteran volunteer base and disaster/community response ethos, though its primary mission is disaster response rather than therapeutic horticulture.
• Headstrong Project: Veteran-focused mental health nonprofit providing no-cost PTSD treatment — adjacent to VetREST's mission in veteran mental health outcomes, with a clinical rather than horticultural modality.

Others

• Crown Bees: Commercial mason bee supplier and current VetREST partner; included as an ecosystem participant in the therapeutic-pollination garden model rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/vetrest.org
• Xx.com/vetrest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vetrest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VetREST