America's Grow-a-Row

America’s Grow-a-Row donates fresh fruits and vegetables to hunger relief agencies and sets up Free Farm Markets during the harvest season in food deserts, which are areas that lack access to fresh affordable produce. Local citizens in need come to these markets and select fresh produce at no cost. In conjunction with these markets we host children from underserved communities at our Grow-a-Row Kids Farm Days during the summer, where the children harvest free produce, learn about nutrition and healthy eating, and make a healthy snack. We also provide our Free Farm Market clients with the opportunity to harvest produce for other communities in need. This opportunity to participate in a volunteer capacity enables our clients to give back to the program in a fulfilling and meaningful way. In addition to donating free fresh produce, America’s Grow-a-Row runs a comprehensive in-person and virtual education program that serves people of all ages.

America's Grow-a-Row's mission is to positively impact as many lives as possible through a volunteer effort of planting, picking, rescuing, and delivering free fresh produce. At America's Grow-a-Row we:
• Provide fresh, healthy produce to those in need
• Educate people of all generations about hunger and ways to help
• Introduce our youth to farming and healthy eating
• Cultivate tomorrow's leaders the habit of giving back
• Contribute to the sustainability of agriculture

America's Grow-a-Row is implemented by a small staff and a vast network of volunteers. America's Grow-a-Row grows and gleans fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables from our own farms and partner farms to be donated to those in need. We distribute fresh produce at Free Farm Markets in underserved communities and food desert areas during the harvest season. All year long we rescue and donate extra produce that would otherwise go to waste from our local grocery store and farm partners. We collaborate with various hunger relief partners in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York City, and beyond to ensure depth and reach. Our program runs all year long with a major focus on the summer and fall months when we are planting, harvesting, and gleaning on the field. As part of our mission, America's Grow-a-Row also educates people about the hunger crisis, healthy eating, volunteerism, and the role of agriculture in our food system. Our education program includes classroom instruction at schools and community centers, on-the-farm sessions in season, and virtual lessons.

America's Grow-a-Row is a growing grassroots organization that has donated over 15 million pounds of produce since our beginning. We donate 2.5 million pounds, or 10 million servings, of farm-fresh produce to those in need annually.

In 2002, after seeing a plea from the Flemington Area Food Pantry requesting that local gardeners donate surplus produce, Chip Paillex and his daughter Kyra, who was four years old at the time, happily gave the excess vegetables they cultivated from their family garden to the food pantry.

That year Chip donated 120 pounds of fresh produce from his home garden to the food pantry. When Chip saw the need for fresh fruits and vegetables at local food pantries, he became inspired to grow more produce to feed the hungry. Thanks to Chip’s leadership, an ever-expanding volunteer network, and regular invitations to glean excess produce at local farms and grocery stores, the program has grown exponentially.

What started out in 2002 as a small personal garden has now become New Jersey’s leading service organization dedicated to growing, gleaning, and donating fresh produce to those in need. At the beginning, Chip had a vision of providing those in need with fresh, healthy produce. As part of this endeavor, Chip saw an opportunity to engage people of all ages in the effort to feed those struggling with hunger and at the same time teach people about the hunger crisis, healthy eating, and the role of agriculture in our food system. Today America’s Grow-a-Row owns and operates four farms totaling 428 acres in Hunterdon County, NJ, and we serve New Jersey, New York City, Philadelphia and eastern Pennsylvania, and, through our partnership with the Mid-Atlantic Regional Cooperative, the greater northeast region from Maine to Virginia. America’s Grow-a-Row donates 2.5 million pounds, or 10 million servings, of farm-fresh fruits and vegetables annually with the help of 10,000 volunteers.