The Lands at Hillside Farms | Local, Sustainable, Educational Non-Profit Farm

2023 Grief Camp
Registration now open!

Referrals are now open!

Since 2013, Hillside Farms has provided farm-based, animal assisted activities and therapies to our region's children. The five-day camp is open to children ages 6 through 14 who have experienced trauma. This includes the loss of an immediate family member through illness, accident, homicide or suicide. We also welcome children who are in foster care as well as those who are experiencing life-changing circumstances due to family addiction.

Learn more here.

We are at capacity for our 2023 Children's Grief Camp.
2023 Summer Farm Camp
Registration now open!

Online registration opens November 28, 2022.

Now in its 16^th season, we are excited to offer our most enjoyable and educational experiences ever. Summer Farm Camp combines exercise and activities while keeping education challenging and fun. We look forward to welcoming your child(ren) to Hillside's Summer Farm Camp!

Open for students entering grades 1-8 for the 2023 - 2024 school year.

Campers are placed in groups based on grades.
Learn More & Register Now
Dr. Douglas J. Ayers

“The Earth and all its creatures are a gift and a responsibility to be cared for by us.”

Dr. Doug Ayers was born in Wilkes-Barre and attended Coughlin High School and King’s College, Wilkes-Barre. His childhood was spent primarily on his family farm, which is nestled in the deep mountains of State Game Lands #57 in Noxen. Here he bonded with nature and the outdoors while working on his father’s cattle farm.

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About the Lands at Hillside Farms

The Lands at Hillside Farms is a historic, non-profit 501(c)(3) educational dairy farm located in Trucksville, Pennsylvania. Hillside’s mission is to teach life choices that are healthy, practical, and sustainable.

Hillside is run by a small, dedicated staff and governed by a volunteer board of directors .

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Dairy Store

The Lands at Hillside Farms Dairy Store is not a place, it is an experience. Here, you can shop at a centralized "local food hub" that sells over 100 products such as artisan cheese, "true local" raw honey, certified organic vegetables, fresh baked goods, jellies, jams, salsas, syrups, and hand crafted chocolates.

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Volunteer

The Lands at Hillside Farms is blessed with a group of hardworking volunteers who measure their day by progress, not hours. Our volunteers selflessly serve to accelerate and enhance this extraordinary endeavor, investing sweat-equity and skills in a variety of areas such as gardening, animal care...

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Summer Camp

The Lands At Hillside Farm is gearing up for another great year of Summer Farm Camp! Now in its 15th season, we are excited to offer our most enjoyable and educational experiences ever. Summer Farm Camp combines exercise and activities while keeping education challenging and fun.

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Events

A bounty of farm and nature focused events waits you! Join us for a guided walk through the pastures, hang with the dairy herd, learn fascinating facts of local history, create a rag rug, learn to make cheese and butter, enjoy a tractor wagon ride under the stars, watch family-friendly movies in the Coach Barn...

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Green Guides Programs
Grief Camp

Green Guides Programs for Vulnerable Youth

Green Guides, an educational, therapeutic program for autistic and other at-risk youth throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania. Specifically, Green Guides provides for a safe, structured, supportive environment that features nature-based programs and activities related to science, math, history, horticulture, animal husbandry, and sustainable agriculture.

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Children’s Grief Camp

This camp is open to children ages 6 to 14 who have recently experienced the loss of a loved one through illness, accident, homicide or suicide. We also serve children who are in foster care or kinship care due to neglect or abuse as well as children living with family addiction. According to the National Alliance for Grieving Children, those children who suffer a significant loss are at a greater risk for depression, suicide, substance abuse, and poverty.

Learn More