Providing care and services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities since its establishment in 1973, CARC, INC. is also proud to be part of New Mexico’s vibrant agriculture industry.
Based in Carlsbad, CARC was co-founded by Barbara and Bob Forrest. Bob served as mayor of the City of Carlsbad, which is home to Pecos Valley Pecans, part of the organization’s Work Services Program. Through the program, participants learn vocational and social skills that set them up for success in their chosen career path, and the goal is for them to leave having developed the work behaviors needed to function independently and thrive in community employment.
At Pecos Valley Pecans, employees harvest and process pecans from the CARC orchards
– cleaning, sorting, cracking and packaging the nuts – and for a small fee, they shell pecans brought in by members of the community.
The operation’s orchards produce between 4,000 and 6,000 pounds of pecans annually, and Pecos Valley Pecans’ products are sold to the public throughout the year and are also available for delivery.
“CARC’s Pecos Valley Pecans employees get a great deal of joy from their work,” says Woods Houghton, who serves as an Eddy County agriculture extension agent. “The way they pick, process and crack pecans is pretty labor intensive because they’re doing most of it by hand or with simple machinery, which gives them an incredible sense of satisfaction and accomplishment each day. They’re very proud when they finish a task and are eager to show off what they’ve done, and I think that’s something special.”
To learn more, visit carcinc.org or call (575) 887-1570.