Escape to NWA
Returning Home. Rebuilding Purpose. Rooted in the Ozarks.
We’re Darrin and Irma Surls, and we’re building Gammy’s Garden Gate Farms — a teaching and community farm for families, veterans, and future growers.
Join us on our journey home to Northwest Arkansas.
Our Focus Areas
Many veterans find healing through structure, routine, and working with the land.
Our farm provides quiet, purpose-filled farm work and community support — no pressure, no noise, just room to breathe.
A grounded, peaceful space where veterans can reconnect with purpose through farm work, community, and quiet strength.
Helping families build self-reliance through food production, resourcefulness, and shared community learning.
Who We Are
We’re Darrin and Irma Surls — a husband-and-wife team returning home to Northwest Arkansas after nearly a decade away.
With our nonprofit, Escape to NWA, we’re building Gammy’s Garden Gate Farms: a place where hands meet soil, hearts find purpose, and families and veterans grow together.
This isn’t a hobby farm — it’s a mission to plant hope in the Ozarks.
