Veteran Stability Initiative

Today, we had the privilege of meeting Mark, a U.S. Army veteram who served as a paratrooper in the late 1980s.

Due to service-connected injuries, Mark has been unable to continue working. When he reached out to the Veteran Stability Initiative, we were honored to help by providing Ingles Markets and ALDI USA gift cards to support him and his family.

This is what our mission is all about—standing beside veterans when they need it most.

Thank you for your service, Mark. It was an honor to meet you, and we're grateful for the opportunity to support you.

If you believe in supporting our nation's veterans, please like and share this post. Together, we can help ensure more veterans know they're not alone.

Stories like Mark's are only possible because of the generosity of our community. If you'd like to help us support the next veteran who reaches out, please consider making a donation or becoming a monthly supporter. Every contribution makes a difference.

✨ Market Highlight: LJ Peaceful Acres Farm ✨

Leah and Jeff Goodwin began LJ Peaceful Acres Farm, LLC in the spring of 2023, the same year they were married. “LJ” stands for Leah & Jeff. Their farm is located in Shelby, on 20 acres that Leah purchased after transferring from Oklahoma to North Carolina with her job in 2021. When she purchased the acreage it was completely undeveloped land. “Some of my friends thought I had lost my mind moving out here by myself onto raw land,” she shared. “We started from the ground up. First we got the tractor, then we had the barn built. The house was last,” the couple shared. Leah and Jeff became vendors at our farmers’ market in 2024, just a few years after starting their farm from scratch.

Both Leah and Jeff grew up on family farms. Leah’s background was with horses. “My dad roped and everything,” she shared, “So when I got to where I could have a horse, I got a couple of my own.” Leah was also a part of a mounted search and rescue team in Oklahoma. Jeff grew up in Union, SC. He shared, “We always had chickens and other stuff on the farm. My brother and I would raise Bobwhite Quail to sell to hunting preserves. The natural quail population has dropped a lot so we would raise and sell around 2,000 quail each year.” Jeff and Leah now raise Coturnix Quail, a breed that is more suitable for egg production. Their farmers’ market customers find quail eggs to be a delightful novelty!

LJ Peaceful Acres Farm also offers chicken and duck eggs. During peak season they provide fresh produce including okra, summer squash, and a variety of sweet and hot peppers. Leah and Jeff are also very creative. Leah is known for her decorative horseshoe crafts. Jeff offers wood crafts including boot racks and custom hay feeders.

From the beginning, LJ Peaceful Acres Farm has been motivated to use their farm as a way to give back to the local community. In 2025, they began hosting the Rock'in at the Creek music festival on their farm. Leah shared, “Jeff likes to do barbecues and entertain. We also started following some local musicians and realized there’s just not a lot of events like this out on farms. We thought it would be the perfect spot to do something like this, but we wanted to give back at the same time.” Each year, their music festival organizes a fundraiser that benefits a local nonprofit.

Their first event in 2025 benefited the Broad River Community Market. After learning about the work Broad River Community Market is doing to address food insecurity in our community, the Goodwins worked to develop a food drive and 50/50 raffle to offer support. They now provide farm fresh eggs for Broad River Community Market’s food distribution days.

This year’s music festival will support the Veteran Stability Initiative (VSI). Leah connected with VSI while vending at the farmers’ market. She was drawn to their organization because she served three years in the U.S. Army on active duty. She was also a military wife for twenty years in her first marriage. Leah shared, “We are excited to support and celebrate our veterans through this year’s festival.”

Rock'in at the Creek is a family oriented event with food and craft vendors, non-profit booths, and a kids zone with a bouncy house, sandbox, and games. Armbands can be purchased at the gate on June 13. The event runs from 3:00 - 11:00pm. For more information - visit Rock'in at the Creek on Facebook. To learn more about their farm, follow LJ Peaceful Acres Farm.

We're looking for a few local businesses and community members who want to help us make a difference for veterans here in Cleveland County.

Over the past year, we've been fortunate to help veterans navigate benefits, find resources, and work toward greater stability. As we continue to grow, we're working to establish a Veteran Rapid Relief Fund so we can step in more when a veteran is facing an immediate crisis—whether that's housing, utilities, transportation, or another unexpected hardship.

We're currently looking for a handful of 2026–2027 Community Partners who want to be part of that mission.

If you're a business owner, know someone who might be interested, or would simply like to learn more about what we're doing, I'd love to have a conversation.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far. We're excited about what we can accomplish together for our local veterans.

📧 [email protected]
🌐 vetstability.org