Owners of H.O.P.E.- full pastures Therapeutic Farm help children in families that need healing.
It was about 11 years after they got married that Isidro and Christa Carrero made the huge decision to invest in an area farm to use it for supporting children who are hurting.
Foster and orphanage care has always meant a lot to them — they have two children whom they currently foster in addition to having five of their own. The entire family is involved in the operation of the farm, known today as the H.O.P.E.-full Pastures Therapeutic Farm.
The 6-acre land is on Ross Hanover Road in Hanover Twp. And they have owned it since 2014. The ministry the Carreros are doing there fully materialized during the COVID-19 pandemic where the doors opened to the community on Sept. 26, 2020.
The “H.O.P.E.” part of the farm’s name comes from their statement, “where Healing begins, lives come to Order, Peace is found, and Encouragement rises.” There is an emphasis on the “courage” part of the word “encouragement.”
“We love children and have a heart for the brokenhearted,” said Christa Carrero, who is the farm’s founder and Chair.
They are foster parents who observed a cycle of brokenness and decided to step in and help.
Isidro Carerro is a pastor, master electrician and plumber, and he works as a supervisor of facilities at Miami University. Christa Carrero said her husband is also a family mechanic, remodeling contractor, licensed foster parent and a respected leader in the community.
They strive to create a safe, therapeutic environment to help vulnerable youth overcome fear, loss and trauma, she said.
“Our hope is to restore lives by promoting healing, order, peace and encouragement. We exist to provide a secure family atmosphere where each child can receive acceptance — a positive experience for children and families to learn about the saving hope of Jesus Christ through facilitating animal-assisted intervention sessions in a peaceful, calm rural setting,” she said.
The Carreros are Christians and are affiliated with multiple local churches and nonprofit organizations. Some of those include Hamilton Christian Center, the Hamilton Dream Center, Home Church, Princeton Pike Church of God, Queen of Peace, Lindenwald Baptist Church and the Happy Church in Jackson, Ky. They are connected to Butler County Children’s Services, Hope’s Closet, Pathway to Hope and the Roots of Grace Home School Co-Op.
“This ministry wouldn’t be possible without our Lord and Savior,” Christa Carrero said.
The family has cared for 27 children through fostering — 25 of whom were able to reunify with their families, emancipate, or move on. They have also cared for more than 25 children in respite care through the past decade.
The community can get involved in the mission of H.O.P.E.-full Pastures in a variety of ways.
“We would be honored to have members of the community partner with us by investing in the children and families we serve by donating financially, with prayer, goods, farm store gift cards and/or services,” Christa Carrero said. “As a nonprofit, we would be more than happy to provide community partners with a charitable giving statement or donation form.”
Another way the community may engage with the farm is through child sponsorship and sponsoring an animal.
“H.O.P.E.-full Pastures does not charge for services,” Christa Carrero said. “However, we have a lot of overhead expenses to keep the farm and our program afloat.
“If we can make an impact in one life, one family, then it will all be worth it,” she said.
The farm aims to grow to have an in-house therapist, acquire more land, build an indoor therapy facility and to staff everything with paid folks as well as volunteers.
“Another vision is to transform our current house into an independent living home for teen moms and older teen girls with a House Mom who would serve as a mentor and teach them life skills,” Christa Carerro said.
For more information on sponsorship, visit the website www.hopefullpastures.org. Click “Join the Cause.”