It is our commitment
to offer the best possible services and support
now and in the future
It all began with an idea
Central Oregon Veterans Ranch (COVR) was the vision of founder Alison Perry after six years of working as a trauma therapist for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Alison began working for the Veteran Affairs (VA) two years after her brother Todd deployed for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 as an Apache helicopter pilot. Todd returned home from his deployment, switched to Blackhawks, and served two more tours as a MEDEVAC pilot. Alison’s grandfather was a career AF C-130 pilot and instructor who flew in Korea and Vietnam, and her nephew served in the Marine Corps and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Alison worked as a trauma therapist at the Portland VA Medical Center for three years, and then worked at the Bend VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic. Prior to Alison’s transfer to Central Oregon she had a case that was the spark of the Veterans’ Ranch.
Where We’ve Been
■ 2014 - COVR established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
■ 2015 - Officially opened the doors of our 19-acre ranch to the veteran community of Central Oregon
■ 2016 - Remodeled ranch house to state ADA compliance to qualify as an adult foster home
■ 2017 - Ranch house licensed with Oregon’s Department of Human Services as a Level II adult foster home (license currently inactive)
■ 2017 - Established first greenhouse
■ 2019 - Oregon Department of Agriculture awards COVR the two-year Specialty Crop Block Grant to convert greenhouse into a hydroponics system, develop a specialty crop (lettuce) business, and offer educational courses to veterans
■ 2019 - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) awards COVR grant to establish an outdoor greenhouse or “hoop house
■ 2020 - Began partnering with High Desert Food & Farm Alliance (HDFFA) to secure the USDA Beginner Farmer Rancher Grant, a 3-year grant to provide free workshops and 1:1 mentoring to veterans in farming and ranching
■ 2020 - Started free community garden plots for veterans and their families in hoop house and pasture “Victory Garden”
■ 2020 - Established first veteran peer support groups for combat veterans, Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) veterans, and Operations Iraq Freedom (Iraq) veterans
■ 2021 - Awarded 5-year NRCS contract to rehabilitate 12-acre pasture and upgrade irrigation
■ 2021-2022 - Staffing and budget double, secured financing with community lender Craft3, and took full ownership of 19-acre property