The Healing Barn will provide a safe place at our animal sanctuary in mid coast Maine for elder people to come and visit the animals and soak up nature-in one on one, intimate visits. The barn will sit between the two large animal barns, under a 150 year old apple tree, with views of all the fields. Some animals will be running freely in the fields.

I am asking you to donate to this beautiful project of love and healing, and also to share it with friends.

The non profit sanctuary takes in elder/needy animals, but we also share them with elder homes. Many of the elders we visit have had to leave behind their animals and often their country homes. They never stop missing either.

We have brought many elders to the farm and they often say, in tears, it feels like home. The Healing Barn will allow us not to be so dependent on good weather, and will allow easier/safer access for wheelchairs and walkers. It will also make it easier to bring out animals for visits and allow for multiple paddocks to be included if needed.

It will also allow people to be driven up to the barn road for easy access.

The mid coast area has a high population of elders. Many people avoid working with elders at retirement homes-it is hard for younger people to think about being there one day. But the elders get such joy out of our visits and if you love animals, not being able to have them in your life is very hard and sad.

While some farms might have an annual open house, we want The Healing Barn to become known as a possible place to bring elders on visits through out the year. It will be by appointment.

Apifera Farm is owned and operated by Katherine and Martyn Dunn. They do all the work themselves and Katherine is the main animal handler. Martyn is a key player in keeping the farm infrastructure running smoothly. He is also responsible for the beautiful perennial gardens. They have been doing this kind of work with animals for 20+ years, arriving in mid coast Maine in 2016 where they established themselves as a non profit animal sanctuary-which then evolved into Katherine sharing animals with elder people.

Horses, ponies, goats, pigs, llamas and more are part of the farm.