America’s Grow-a-Row

What America’s Grow-a-Row does

America's Grow-a-Row is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2002 by Chip Paillex, headquartered in Pittstown, New Jersey. It operates a Grow-Glean-Give model focused on addressing food insecurity by cultivating fresh produce, rescuing agricultural surplus from farms and grocery stores, and distributing both free of charge to food-insecure populations. The organization farms over 20 varieties of produce across four farm locations totaling 423 acres in Hunterdon County, NJ, relying on approximately 14,000 volunteers annually for harvesting operations and sustaining a 16-week harvest season. Distribution is routed primarily (about 90%) through Feeding America's MealConnect platform to roughly 200 food banks nationwide, with the remaining output directed to regional partners including Community FoodBank of New Jersey, City Harvest, Philabundance, and direct Free Farm Markets in underserved neighborhoods; cumulative distribution reached 20 million pounds of produce and 100 million servings across 29 states by 2025.

The organization's program portfolio centers on the Fresh Produce Initiative, complemented by Kids Farm Days (youth education hosting 900+ children annually), Free Farm Markets (nearly 40 community sites), Fields of Service (corporate volunteer programming), and Pennies 4 Produce (point-of-sale fundraising). Unlike traditional food banks that distribute donated shelf-stable goods, America's Grow-a-Row grows its own produce using sustainable methods and pairs distribution with culinary and nutrition education. The technology stack is conventional for a small nonprofit: a website with blog and recipe content, active social channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube), email newsletters, and the third-party MealConnect platform for produce listing; no proprietary software, AI/ML capabilities, or apps are disclosed.

Revenue is generated entirely through philanthropic channels: corporate foundation grants (Bayer Fund, Chick-fil-A, Bank of America, Provident Bank Foundation, Comcast NBCUniversal, GlaxoSmithKline, and others), corporate sponsorships and volunteer partnerships (Johnson & Johnson, PSEG, Unity Bank, B&G Foods, Village Super Market/ShopRite, Wegmans), individual donations, and in-kind contributions. The organization holds a Charity Navigator Four-Star Rating, Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency, and Great Nonprofits Top-Rated Nonprofit designation, and was recognized in 2024 with the Chick-fil-A True Inspiration Award ($200,000 grant). A small staff of 11-50 supports the operation, with Chip Paillex continuing to serve as President and Founder.

Name

America’s Grow-a-Row

Legal name

America's Grow-a-Row Inc.

Website

https://americasgrowarow.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

America's Grow-a-Row is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that grows and gleans fresh produce across four farms totaling 423 acres in Hunterdon County, NJ, distributing it free of charge through food banks, Free Farm Markets, and Free Farm Days programs across 29 states while engaging approximately 14,000 volunteers annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Insecurity and Hunger Relief Services

NAICS

Vegetable and Melon Farming (11121), Noncitrus Fruit and Tree Nut Farming (11133)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Sprouts & Microgreens Farming (Alfalfa Sprouts, Microgreens, Wheatgrass) (AFAGADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Stone Fruit Orchards (Peaches, Nectarines, Plums, Cherries, Apricots) (AFAGACAC), Farm-to-Consumer Produce Boxes / CSA Delivery (AFAIANAC)

Keywords

• Fresh produce donation
• Food insecurity relief
• Volunteer farm programs
• Produce gleaning services
• Hunger prevention nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittstown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Foundation Funding: Receives grants from corporate foundations including Bayer Fund, Chick-fil-A Foundation, Bank of America, Provident Bank Foundation, and others. These grants support the Fresh Produce Initiative and operational expansion.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Companies like Johnson & Johnson, B&G Foods, PSEG, Unity Bank, and others provide both financial support and volunteer labor. Some partners like Village Super Market run in-store fundraising campaigns (Pennies 4 Produce).
3. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute through the organization's website and planned giving programs.
4. In-Kind Support: Partners provide products, services, and volunteer time that support operations without direct monetary exchange.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

America's Grow-a-Row is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that grows over 20 varieties of fresh produce across 423 acres of farmland in Hunterdon County, NJ, gleans/rescues surplus produce from local farms and grocery stores, and donates 100% of the food free of charge to food banks, pantries, and underserved communities across 29 states. The organization supplements produce distribution with nutrition, culinary, and agriculture education programs for children and families facing food insecurity.

Product overview

America's Grow-a-Row is a nonprofit organization operating as a single unified program centered around its Fresh Produce Initiative. The core offering combines sustainable farming (growing over 20 varieties across 423 acres), produce distribution (to 29 states), gleaning/food rescue, and education programs. The main products include the Fresh Produce Initiative as the cornerstone program, Kids Farm Days for youth education, Free Farm Markets for community distribution, and an Education Program teaching culinary and nutrition skills. Additional resources include the Pennies 4 Produce fundraising campaign and a Recipes resource for cooking fresh produce.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fresh Produce Initiative: Cornerstone program dedicated to increasing access to nutritious produce, providing supportive education about healthy eating, meal preparation, agriculture, and food insecurity.
• Kids Farm Days
• Fields of Service
• Pennies 4 Produce
• Free Farm Markets

Products and services

• Fresh Produce Initiative
• Kids Farm Days
• Free Farm Markets
• Education Program
• Pennies 4 Produce

Quantifiable outcome

• 20 million pounds of produce donated since 2002
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic, supporting and emerging.

• Johnson & JohnsoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohnson & Johnson was America’s Grow-a-Row's first-ever corporate volunteer group and one of their first financial supporters. In 2024 season, 857 employees spent 2,500+ hours across 37 volunteer shifts. The company also offers a matched giving program to double impact.
• Village Super Market (ShopRite)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerVillage Super Market operates ShopRite stores and runs the annual Pennies 4 Produce campaign, raising over $52,000 in 2024. The campaign allows customers to donate spare change at checkout. The partnership enables approximately 2,321 people daily to receive fresh produce across NJ, NY, and PA.
• AmeriHealthstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmeriHealth, a healthcare insurance provider serving NJ and PA, partners to address social determinants of health through food access. The partnership aligns with AmeriHealth's commitment to health equity and reducing barriers to good health through community-based initiatives.
• B&G FoodscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerB&G Foods, a food manufacturer based in Parsippany, NJ, provides over 1 million additional servings of fresh produce annually through their partnership. Employees volunteer at harvests and direct produce to food banks in states where B&G facilities are located (NJ, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa). The partnership includes gift-in-kind products for cooking education.
• Feeding AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeeding America is the largest domestic hunger relief organization, operating a network of approximately 200 food banks. America’s Grow-a-Row lists produce on Feeding America's MealConnect platform, enabling distribution to food banks across the nation. Approximately 90% of AGAR's produce goes to Feeding America food banks.
• Community FoodBank of New JerseycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity FoodBank of New Jersey is a major regional partner, with a warehouse the size of about six football fields distributing 100+ million pounds of food annually. AGAR distributes produce to all counties in NJ through this partnership.
• City HarvestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity Harvest partners with AGAR to distribute produce to all boroughs of New York City, helping reach urban populations facing food insecurity.
• PhilabundancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhilabundance serves as AGAR's collaboration partner for the Greater Philadelphia area, distributing fresh produce to communities in the region.
• Farmers Against HungersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNJ-based agricultural surplus recovery organization that partners with AGAR for produce distribution throughout New Jersey.
• Unity BankcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerUnity Bank has partnered since 2016, sending volunteers monthly during harvest season and serving as lead sponsor for the Fields of Service program. They also provide donated billboard space to spread awareness.
• ShopRite of Hunterdon CountycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLongstanding relationship with ShopRite of Hunterdon County includes sponsorship, volunteer groups, and rescuing over 500,000 servings of produce through store gleaning. Owners Joe and Jeanine Colalillo are fierce advocates for fighting local hunger.
• PSEGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPSEG has partnered since 2018, bringing unmatched energy to harvesting, planting, and produce rescue efforts. Known for being willing to roll up sleeves and get the job done, they inspire everyone around them.
• WegmansemergingGTM or Marketing PartnerNew partnership established in April 2024 with employees from four different locations volunteering. Wegmans also stepped up as a season sponsor to help feed more people and is committed to expanding the partnership in coming years.
• Consalo Family FarmssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Kids Farm Days program, supporting agricultural education for children from underserved communities.
• QuickCheksupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerQuickChek participates in the Pennies 4 Produce campaign, running their campaign July 5 - August 31, allowing customers to round up purchases for food insecurity causes.
• Arm in ArmsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerArm in Arm is a nonprofit partner receiving produce donations. Executive Director David Fox notes the partnership is critical to providing families with food equity and a path to better nutrition.
• Zufall HealthsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerZufall Health, a healthcare organization, partners with AGAR to reduce barriers to healthcare by making fresh produce available to patients. The partnership helps prevent or lessen chronic disease severity while alleviating financial distress from rising food costs.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Philabundance: Greater Philadelphia regional food bank serving nine counties. Directly comparable as a regional food distribution partner to AGAR with overlapping geography (NJ/PA) and similar produce distribution mission to underserved communities.
• Wholesome Wave: Nonprofit addressing food insecurity through produce prescription and doubling SNAP benefits at farmers markets. Comparable to AGAR's mission of expanding fresh produce access to low-income communities, with similar farm-to-consumer philosophy.
• City Harvest: NYC-based food rescue organization that distributes surplus food across all five boroughs. Directly comparable to AGAR's gleaning/rescue operations and Free Farm Markets in urban food deserts, with similar volunteer-driven fresh produce rescue model.
• Community FoodBank of New Jersey: Primary regional food bank partner for AGAR, distributing 100M+ pounds of food annually across NJ. Both organizations address food insecurity through NJ-based food distribution; AGAR supplies fresh produce while CFBNJ handles broader food categories.
• Brighter Bites: Nonprofit that delivers fresh produce and nutrition education directly to families in underserved communities. Closely comparable to AGAR's combination of produce distribution and hands-on nutrition/cooking education, though focuses on school-based distribution rather than farm growing.
• DC Central Kitchen: Nonprofit that recovers unused food, prepares meals, and distributes to vulnerable populations. Comparable to AGAR in the food rescue/gleaning operational model and addressing food insecurity through innovative food recovery approaches.
• Farmers Against Hunger: New Jersey-based agricultural surplus recovery organization that partners with AGAR for gleaning operations. Most directly comparable peer in terms of farm-based produce rescue model serving NJ food insecure populations.

Emerging players

• FoodCorps: Nonprofit connecting kids to healthy food in schools through hands-on food education. Overlaps with AGAR's Kids Farm Days program on the youth nutrition education and farm exposure dimensions, though FoodCorps focuses on school integration rather than hands-on farming.
• AmpleHarvest.org: Nonprofit connecting home gardeners and farmers with nearby food pantries to donate surplus produce. Comparable to AGAR's gleaning/rescue mission at smaller scale, with similar philosophy of reducing food waste while feeding food-insecure populations.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: The largest domestic hunger-relief organization operating a network of ~200 food banks nationwide. America's Grow-a-Row lists produce on Feeding America's MealConnect platform with ~90% of its produce flowing into this network, making Feeding America the most significant distribution counterpart and the closest functional comparable at national scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/americasgrowarow
• Facebookfacebook.com/americas.grow.a.row
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/america's-grow-a-row
• Instagraminstagram.com/americasgrowarow
• Xx.com/AGARNJ

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about America’s Grow-a-Row