Appreciation to family for opening farm, heart to SLO County veterans

Yet again on Veterans Day, the Gable family, owners of SLO Creek Farms, honored our local vets by hosting breakfast.

Three years ago, the family opened a portion of their farm for a community garden, offering two spaces to SLO Vet Center veterans. Of all the plots there, the veteran gardens have thrived through demonstrated hard work, resiliency, brotherhood and staying power. The Gables are often there to greet the vets and offer apples, cider and words of appreciation.

The core group of vet gardeners include Andrew Rodriguez, SLO Vet Center rep, one amazing, faithful WWII vet and a cluster of Vietnam veterans. They meet every Friday and benefit mostly from the storytelling and brotherhood experience.

Before departing from the Veterans Day breakfast, Blythe Gable reflected on the meaning of the folded flag. Each of the 13 folds has special meaning, and Blythe’s emotional story connected us all across generations: “The seventh fold is a tribute to the armed forces, for it is through the armed forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.”

Thanks, Gables, for opening up your farm, heart and time in support of our local Vet Center veterans.

This story was originally published November 29, 2016 at 8:58 PM with the headline "Appreciation to family for opening farm, heart to SLO County veterans."