Special Growers

tended with care

A Little

about who we are

In 2010, a few parents of special needs young adults were hit with a question, “What’s next for my child after high school graduation?” Unfortunately, the answer was, “there really isn’t much.”

Special Growers was launched to provide a work opportunity for their children and other adults with special needs. With the support of many community partners and individuals, a safe and inclusive work environment has been developed for our disabled staff to learn job skills, gain confidence, and prepare for their future careers.

Today, Special Growers employs 4o year-round disabled staff, 2 garden managers, and 14 dedicated volunteers. With these talented team members, we work hard to harvest, prep, and deliver fresh herbs and fresh cut flowers to local restaurants in Maryville and Knoxville. You probably have been to many of our restaurants and tasted the bounty of our labor!

While working at our garden, our disabled staff members create a social bond with their peers and managers by performing multiple jobs including plant bed preparation, seeding, planting, harvesting, watering, and weeding.   They work independently with minimal assistance from others to complete these tasks. If you ever have a chance to visit our garden, you will notice a sense of pride and fulfillment from our staff.

Special Growers is a program of Special Opps, Inc, a 501c3 Tennessee Corporation with the mission of “providing job training and employment opportunities to disabled adults in Blount County ''.

Thank You

community partners

We greatly appreciate our Community Partners for their contributions of time, materials, knowledge, and financial resources supporting the Special Growers program. Through their generosity we are providing job opportunities for disabled adults in Blount County.
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programs

Learn about our job training, summer work, and school work study programs.
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attend an event

Support Special Growers by attending one of our events. Check out our calendar!
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Shop

See our latest products and offerings from fresh flowers and plants to branded goods and birdhouses.
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get involved

Share your talents with us! Learn more about employment or volunteer opportunities.
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Check Out

zach's birdhouse inc.

Quality handmade birdhouses from the workshop of Zach McMurray, longtime staff member of Special Growers. Birdhouses are made for bluebirds, wrens and other small birds and come with hardware for hanging them up already fastened with easy-opening doors so owners can clean them after the houseguest leaves the nest. Choose from several different pre-made deluxe birdhouse designs and select bird feeders or order a custom birdhouse. Whatever the design, Zach’s Birdhouses Inc. has a team of artists ready to paint your dream birdhouse.
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