It’s been a year since the Do More Agriculture Foundation was formed and it has grown exponentially as it helps people across the country with their mental well-being.

Kim Keller is a co-founder of the organization.

She says things are going very well and there is a lot of support in the industry.

“We are less than a year old and we have seen so much change in the last 10 months and it has far exceeded the expectations that we did have in place,” said Keller.

She was surprised initially with the number of people who came forward to ask for help.

“But as we continue to go down this path, I’m not surprised anymore. This issue was so close to the surface that we just had to scratch the surface and open up that door and give people a space to be able to tell their story and so many people want to tell their story for themselves and the people around them.”

READ MORE: Farmers gain resource to help with their mental well-being

She says it has started a lot of conversations nationally.

“We talk a lot about what is mental health, where are some of the barriers?  What are some of the tangible, practical tools that we can take home back to our farms and back to our communities.”

Keller says they have a new resource coming on-line for farmers this year.

“One of the projects that we just launched for this year is the community fund for mental health first aid so we have wrapped up selecting the communities across Canada, however, anyone can go to mental health first aid.ca and sign-up for any of the courses that are available and I highly recommend them doing that.”

Keller spoke at the Association of Alberta Agricultural Fieldmen In-Service Training conference in Calgary in December.

The Do More Agricultural Foundation says if you are in crisis: visit your local emergency department or call 9-1-1 immediately.

The full interview: