About Simple Sparrow Care Farm
Simple Sparrow is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, trauma-informed care farm.
When we teach people how to care for land, gardens, and animals, they are empowered to better care for themselves and others.
A care farm utilizes farm nature for educational, therapeutic, and/or vocational outcomes.
Potato farms grow potatoes; care farms grow care. —Founder Jamie Tanner, MACL
Our Mission
Simple Sparrow Care Farm collaborates with community partners to provide trauma-informed educational and therapeutic care farm programs and services for all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to Learn + Grow + Heal.
Several evidence based methods, including TBRI (Trust Based Relational Intervention) and NMT (Neuro-Sequential Model of Therapeutics), are integrated into practical farming lessons for rich somatosensory experiences, relational connections, and meaningful education.
We consistently evaluate our programs and services to determine the efficacy of our care farm model which contributes to national and global care farming research.
Learn + Grow + Heal
Learn care: care farm programs and services teach all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to care for land, gardens, and animals which better equips them to care for themselves and others
Grow compassion: earth care and self care holistically foster a greater sense of compassion through experience
Heal the world: meaningful experiences and opportunities for therapy on the care farm, people recover/heal from trauma, addictions, depression/anxiety
Our History
Eric bought his wife, Jamie, a small 2 acre farm in 2013. Jamie had grown up with an incarcerated parent but was blessed to have loving family and a grandmother who taught her how to care for land, gardens, and animals. Jamie always felt safe and happy on a farm and wanted to give that experience to her own children. After years of hosting friends and family for events and meals, it became evident that others benefited from farm life too.
Jamie started bringing animals to local schools to talk about compassion, care, and mindfulness. She also invited therapists and their clients who benefited from farm therapy to Simple Sparrow Farm for private sessions. The community responded with overwhelming support. Simple Sparrow became an official 501(c)(3) non-profit December 2017.
Today, Simple Sparrow continues to partner with licensed therapists, hosting therapy sessions at the farm for greater relational and mental health outcomes. In addition to providing access to mental health care services at the care farm, Simple Sparrow also provides spiritual care from qualified theologians and pastors. Simple Sparrow also provides training for professionals, students, and laity in trauma-informed care, basic homestead farming techniques, and non-profit management.
Jamie completed a Doctorate of Education in Ministry at Dallas Theological Seminary in May 2025. Her dissertation, A Development and Evaluation of Simple Sparrow’s Care Farm’s Executive Leadership Training Program demonstrates that the trauma-informed care farm model is replicable, scalable, and customizable. The training program aimed to equip more care farmers in holistic practice, blending creation stewardship theology with a trauma-informed approach. Furthermore, data indicates improved mental health and quality of life outcomes in the replicated models.
Jamie is available for private consulting on trauma-informed care farming and group training for how to integrate trauma-informed care into school, church, healthcare, and other vocational settings. For more info, email jamie@simplesparrow.farm or visit Hope & Till at www.hopeandtill.com
Judy Holcomb, Executive Director
Judy Holcomb is a compassionate leader whose life journey has profoundly shaped her calling to serve others. Born in Lubbock, Texas, Judy experienced a turbulent childhood marked by foster care, a failed adoption, and complex trauma—all before the age of eleven. Her life took a hopeful turn at age twelve, when she was welcomed into a large and loving adoptive family. The stability and sense of belonging she found there grew to be the cornerstone of her healing and future purpose.
Judy’s personal journey through the foster care system became the foundation of her calling to serve children and families impacted by trauma. Today, as Executive Director of Simple Sparrow Care Farm, her personal journey fuels the transformative work she leads. Simple Sparrow helps people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities Learn+Grow+Heal through educational & therapeutic nature-based programs and services.
Before stepping into her current role in 2023, Judy served as Director of Operations, leveraging decades of leadership in education, ministry, event coordination, and entrepreneurship. She has chaired committees for multiple non-profit organizations and held key roles in ministries for local churches. Her strengths in administration, vision leadership, and mentorship continue to enrich Simple Sparrow’s mission.
Under Judy’s direction, Simple Sparrow has expanded its impact through partnerships with Williamson County’s Family Recovery Court, court ordered therapeutic services for foster children, and comprehensive wrap-around care for foster and adoptive families. She currently serves on steering committees for both the Wilco Family Recovery Court and the Williamson County Community Coalition. Judy is also certified in Nonprofit Management through the University of Texas (2025).
Judy and her loving husband are proud parents to three wonderful daughters and grandparents to four treasured grandchildren. She finds joy in gardening, good books, and meaningful conversations over tea or (decaf) coffee. Her life and work are a testament to the power of healing, the strength of community, and the enduring gift of family.
Vision
Provide access and exposure to educational and therapeutic care farming locally, equip and mobilize care farmers globally, and train professionals and laity in trauma-informed care of self and others utilizing farm nature so that people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities are empowered to Learn + Grow + Heal.
Scope of Work
Simple Sparrow Care Farm serves all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. However, our most notable work is our service to vulnerable and at-risk individuals including survivors of human trafficking, foster/adoption communities, and people suffering from depression or anxiety. Our care farm has proven effective for affordable alternative mental healthcare as well as outdoor education.
Core Values
Respect for nature, self, and others.
Kindness to all living things, self, and others.
Duty to steward all living things.