Grow a Row’s grass-roots mission, Paillex says, is “to grow, glean and give away fresh produce to those in food desert areas”—meaning communities lacking access to fresh, healthy, affordable fruits and vegetables.
One way Grow a Row does this is by holding regular free farmer’s markets in Newark, East Orange, Jersey City and Camden. Last year, working with local agencies, Grow a Row–based at its Pittstown farm–gave away 840,000 pounds of produce to people in need. This year, Paillex says they expect to pass the million-pound mark.
Those numbers are a far cry from the 120 pounds Paillex delivered to a local food pantry in 2002, when he started his 30 x 30-foot plot to teach his then four-year-old daughter Kyra about gardening.
“For a family of three, that was certainly more than enough produce to supply our needs,” he says.
A sales and marketing executive, he began bringing his surplus produce to work. One day he saw a three-line ad in his local paper: “‘If you ever have extra produce, bring it down to the food pantry. Grow a row for the hungry.’ That’s how the program started,” he explains.
Eventually, he trademarked the name, expanded his garden and started farming for those in need. After recruiting volunteers from his church, he attracted attention from corporations and businesses, and donations started coming in.
One day in 2011, Paillex found out his company was planning to relocate him out of the area. Feeling that he had found his calling, he resigned.
“I decided to turn my passion into a profession,” he says.
Now 47, Paillex works full-time with a staff of three other full-timers and four half-timers, as well as 3000 volunteers. In addition to harvesting their own crops, the workers glean unsold produce from area farmers and “rescue” produce from local grocers, who are required to pull less-than-fresh produce off their shelves.
Grow a Row also runs educational programs for inner-city youth, many of whom are unfamiliar with fresh fruit and vegetables.
Last year, the organization brought almost 1000 kids to visit the Pittstown farm. “It’s the first experience on a farm for many of them,” Paillex says. “Everything they harvest they go home with. They eat corn right off the stalk and the juice drips down their faces. They go home with a healthy, fresh dinner for their families.”
“The need," Paillex adds, "has never been greater.”
The May 10 event–to be held at Life Camp in Pottersville–features food, beer and wine from local artisans, a farm-fresh dinner prepared by Ross & Owren Fine Catering, live music and a silent auction. Tickets are $125 per person.
“The best part is, it’s in a barn,” Paillex says. “It’s jean casual. You don’t have to get dressed up.”
SUZANNE ZIMMER LOWERY is a food writer, pastry chef and culinary instructor at a number of New Jersey cooking schools. Find out more about her at suzannelowery.com.