FITZWILLIAM, N.H. (AP) – Veterans trying to shake off addictions and depression are helping themselves by growing vegetables.

They call it their Veterans Victory Farm.

The farm opened two years ago and is run by Veterans Hospice Homestead, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization dedicated to providing medical, psychological and spiritual care for veterans in need of help.

No pesticides or chemicals are used on the farm, which means the 10 or so veterans-turned-farmers spend countless hours hand-picking pests from cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and various other vegetables.

Federal grants and income from the farm cover operating costs. The nonprofit sells the organic produce for about half the price charged in grocery stores and puts any profits into hay and grain to feed the farm’s animals – which include three horses, a cow, 24 chickens, 12 ducks and a donkey. Last season, it made about $1,500.

The organization set up a farm stand at the corner of Routes 119 and 12, using a green, World War II parachute for cover.

This week, Ken Scannell, 55, formerly of Lexington, Mass., and Mark McCall, 43, formerly of Memphis, Tenn., staffed a stand displaying cucumbers, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, summer squash, among other offerings. “I have a problem with alcohol,” Scannell said.

Scannell joined the farm eight months ago after selling produce in the Boston area for almost 20 years. He served in the Army from 1972-1977.

Scannell said seeing the vegetables grow from seeds is helping him in his recovery.

“You get the satisfaction of doing the things you do and seeing the end result,” he said.

Veterans Hospice Homestead runs four other homes for veterans – one in Fitchburg, Mass., two in Leominster, Mass., and a new program in Caguas, Puerto Rico.

Leslie Lightfoot, the head of Veteran Hospice Homestead, grew up on a farm and dreamed up the idea for a farm for veterans.

“Therapeutically, animals are very good for people,” said Lightfoot.

She said the hard work needed to run a farm keeps veterans from taking on a sense of entitlement.

“You need to earn your way through life, and you need to give back,” Lightfoot said.

McCall had no experience growing vegetables before coming to the farm three weeks ago to overcome drug abuse.

He served in the Army from 1981-1984, then worked first as an administrative assistant to a judge and then as an assistant manager of a chain drug store.

“I just wanted to be a productive member of society again, and I thought this would do it,” he said.

McCall said farm residents have a strong sense of camaraderie and accomplishment.

The end of the growing season does not end their work on the farm. In the winter, the veterans shovel snow and tend to the animals.

The veterans also are learning that farming can be unpredictable.

Drenching rain, followed by a heat wave this year, made it hard to harvest this year’s lettuce crop. When the sun came out, the lettuce began to bloom almost immediately and was already bitter by the time the farm stand was up and running.

Still, problems like that teach persistence. The vets are planting another round of lettuce in hopes of generating another crop before the season ends.