Something very special has taken shape at our Charlotte farm.
Our new Hope Shed, a dedicated space designed to expand Shining Hope Farms’ nature-based mental health counseling services, has officially been delivered and assembled—and it was made possible through an incredibly generous donation from SolidBuild®.
As our Mental Health Counseling Program has grown, so has the need for private spaces where our therapists can meet with clients. At Shining Hope Farms, counseling looks a little different from what you might picture when you think of a traditional therapy office. Our licensed mental health professionals are able to incorporate the farm’s natural environment and, when clinically appropriate, purposeful equine interaction into treatment. For many of the children, adults, families, and Veterans we serve, this setting can offer a welcoming alternative to a traditional clinical environment.
But there was a problem: we were running out of room.
Demand for accessible mental health services has continued to grow, and limited private counseling space at our Charlotte farm had become a barrier to increasing our capacity. We knew that adding another dedicated space could help us serve more people, but constructing a traditional building would be costly.
That’s when we discovered SolidBuild’s beautiful sheds and specifically their California modern garden studio.
With its natural solid-wood construction, abundant windows, and warm, inviting design, we immediately saw the potential to transform the structure into something much more than a garden shed. Nestled into our farm environment, it could become a peaceful, private counseling space that maintains a strong visual connection to the outdoors.
There was another reason SolidBuild felt like such a natural fit for Shining Hope Farms. The company shares our appreciation for the natural environment. SolidBuild constructs its sheds from non-toxic natural materials and has made environmental stewardship part of its commitment.
For years we pursued grant funding to purchase the studio shed. After multiple attempts, however, we simply could not secure the funding needed to move the project forward.
So, we decided to tell SolidBuild our story.
We reached out to explain what we hoped to create, why the space was so desperately needed, and how their structure could be used in an unexpected way—to help people in our community access mental health care.
SolidBuild said yes.
The company generously donated the shed to Shining Hope Farms, removing one of the largest barriers standing between our vision and reality.
Today, that shed is no longer a pipe dream. It is standing at our Charlotte farm.
The 117-square-foot solid-wood structure features large windows and glass doors that will allow clients to remain visually connected to the surrounding farm and natural environment while still having the privacy needed for counseling. Once it is electrified (which we are working diligently on!), the Hope Shed will provide our mental health team with a peaceful dedicated space to serve clients and increase counseling capacity.
And that is what makes this donation so meaningful.
SolidBuild did not simply give Shining Hope Farms a structure. They gave us room to serve more people.
They gave a therapist a place to meet with a child struggling with anxiety or trauma. They gave an adult or Veteran a quiet space to work toward healing. They gave families who have struggled to find accessible mental health services another opportunity to receive care.
Most importantly, they helped turn a project that had been stalled by funding challenges into something tangible.
Shining Hope Farms provides mental health counseling for children, adults, and families, combining traditional clinical approaches with the natural farm environment and incorporating purposeful equine interaction into select sessions. We also accept insurance, including Medicaid managed care plans, helping make this unique model of care accessible to individuals and families who might otherwise face financial barriers to receiving services.
Thank You, SolidBuild
To everyone at SolidBuild®, thank you for believing in this project and in the people who will benefit from it.
Your generosity demonstrates just how powerful a partnership between a business and a nonprofit can be. You recognized the potential for one of your structures to become a place of connection, growth, resilience, and hope.
We cannot wait to finish transforming the Hope Shed into a welcoming counseling space—and, even more importantly, to open its doors to the clients who have been waiting for care.
From all of us at Shining Hope Farms: thank you, SolidBuild, for helping us create more room for hope.