Causes: Food, Food Banks & Pantries, Human Services

Mission: 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 in tomorrow’s leaders the habit of giving back
•Contribute to the sustainability of agriculture

Results: We have delivered over 15 million pounds of free fresh produce (60 million servings) since 2002 to those suffering from hunger in NJ. Each year America’s Grow-a-Row donates 9.6 million servings, or 2.4 million pounds, of farm-fresh produce to hunger relief agencies including the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, City Harvest in New York City, Philabundance in Philadelphia, and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Cooperative, which serves 23 food banks in 11 states from Maine to Virginia. We host 1,000 youth from the communities we serve at Grow-a-Row Kids Farm Days and 9,000 volunteers participate in our program each year.

Target demographics: To provide free, fresh produce to those in need.

Direct beneficiaries per year: 85,000 people

Geographic areas served: New Jersey, New York City, eastern Pennsylvania, and the mid-Atlantic region

Programs: 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 to give back; Contribute to the sustainability of agriculture