Written by Courtney Roberts on September 16, 2022.
Nearly fifteen years ago, God placed a desire in the heart of Bencita Brooks, one that involved a seemingly unlikely combo: horses and therapy. Out of that unique calling grew de la Cruz Farms*, where individuals overcome physical, mental, emotional, and other difficulties in a therapeutic farm environment, all while learning about and experiencing the transformative love of God. Today, the farm is an invaluable resource to families throughout the High Country and beyond, offering interactive therapeutic sessions to people with various needs.
A Long-standing Commitment
The farm has grown tremendously since its beginning in 2014. They serve a steadily-increasing number of participants and are expanding the variety of learning opportunities offered. One thing, however, has remained the same: the commitment to keeping Christ at the center of everything they do.
This mission is encapsulated in the name of the farm itself, “de la Cruz,” a Spanish surname borrowed from Bencita’s mother’s family, which happens to mean “of the cross.” Lessons with Bible truths are an essential part of sessions for participants, and the communication of the gospel is implicit in every part of the experience for both children and their families, down to the fact that families benefit from the farm’s services completely free-of-charge.
Bencita was a speech-language therapist when she felt the call to start the farm. The growth of de la Cruz Farms and its ministry has been both an exercise in faith and a continuous demonstration of God’s provision. She had no professional experience with animals when God began to lay plans for the ministry in her heart. “It was all God’s idea,” she acknowledges.
Flat to Farm
Trusting that God would provide, Bencita began learning about horses and slowly transformed a plot of land with her husband, Jeff. The unusable swamp in Deep Gap eventually turned into a working farm with the help of friends, neighbors, and family.
Today, in addition to horses, de la Cruz Farms is home to numerous other animals with whom children can interact. There are also multiple colonies of honey bees, of which proceeds from the honey they produce go toward the support of the farm.
As Bencita prayerfully watched the ministry grow, her dreams for it have grown as well. The biggest future project on the horizon is constructing an indoor area with an attached space for therapy sessions, which will allow the farm to expand its services and offer equine sessions year-round.
How to Get Involved
If you are interested in volunteering with de la Cruz, you can fill out a volunteer form, linked below. A wide range of opportunities are available for volunteers of all skillsets:
Faithful dependence on God continues to be the foundation of the ministry. The farm is donor-funded, and a large portion of the work — from facilitating sessions to caring for the animals and mucking out the pastures — is done by volunteers working alongside staff.
Many nonprofits receive funding from grants. Faith-oriented nonprofits like de la Cruz farms, however, face unique financial challenges. Many grantmaking foundations refuse to offer grants to religiously-affiliated groups, excluding them from a major source of income on which many nonprofits count. De la Cruz relies on the provision of God through generous donors to fund the ministry. You can help by donating to de la Cruz, linked below, or by mailing a check to:
de la Cruz Farms
PO Box 165
Deep Gap, North Carolina 28618
*de la Cruz Farms is in Boone, NC, and is a ministry partner of Alliance Bible Fellowship. Learn more about our ministry patterns at abfboone.org/missions.